Born: June 17, 1865 (Omaha Reservation, Nebraska)
Died: September 18, 1915
Susan La Flesche Picotte (June 17, 1865 – September 18, 1915, Omaha) was a Native American medical doctor and reformer in the late 19th century. She is widely acknowledged as one of the first Indigenous peoples, and the first Indigenous woman, to earn a medical degree. She campaigned for public health and for the formal, legal allotment of land to members of the Omaha tribe. Picotte was an active social reformer as well as a physician. She worked to discourage drinking on the reservation where she worked as the physician, as part of the temperance movement of the 19th century. Picotte also campaigned to prevent and treat tuberculosis, which then had no cure, as part of a public health campaign. She also worked to help other Omaha navigate the bureaucracy of the Office of Indian Affairs and receive the money owed to them for the sale of their land.
Susan La Flesche was born in June 1865 on the Omaha Reservation in eastern Nebraska. Her parents were culturally Omaha with European and Indigenous ancestry and had lived for periods of time beyond the borders of the reservation. They married sometime in 1845–1846. Susan’s father, Joseph La Flesche also called Iron Eye, was of Ponca and some French Canadian ancestry. He was educated in St. Louis, Missouri, but returned to the reservation as a young man. He identified culturally as Omaha. In 1853 he was adopted by Chief Big Elk, who chose him as his successor, and La Flesche became the principal leader of the Omaha tribe around 1855. Iron Eye sought to help his people by encouraging a certain amount of assimilation, particularly through the policy of land allotment, which caused some friction among the Omaha. Susan’s mother, Mary Gale, was the daughter of Dr. John Gale, a white United States Army surgeon stationed at Fort Atkinson, and Nicomi, a woman of Omaha/Otoe/Iowa heritage. Gale was also the stepdaughter of prominent Nebraska fur trader and statesman Peter A. Sarpy. Like her husband, Mary Gale was identified as Omaha. Although she understood French and English, she refused to speak any language other than Omaha.
Susan was the youngest of four girls, including her sisters Susette (1854–1903), Rosalie (1861–1900), and Marguerite (1862–1945). Her older half-brother Francis La Flesche, born in 1857 to her father’s second wife, later became renowned as an ethnologist, anthropologist, and musicologist, who focused on the Omaha and Osage cultures. As she grew, La Flesche learned the traditions of her heritage, but her parents felt certain rituals would be detrimental in the white world. They did not give their youngest daughter an Omaha name and prevented her from receiving traditional tattoos across her forehead.
Susan La Flesche Picotte attended the Elizabeth Institute for Young Ladies, a boarding school in Elizabeth, New Jersey, from 1881 to 1884. After completing her education there, she began teaching at the Santo Domingo Indian School in Santo Domingo Pueblo, New Mexico. However, she soon realized that her true calling was in medicine, and she returned to the Omaha Reservation to pursue a medical degree.
In 1886, Picotte enrolled at the Women’s Medical College in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, becoming the first Native American woman to attend medical school. She faced many challenges as a female student of Native American descent in a predominantly white and male field, but she persevered and graduated at the top of her class in 1889.
After completing her medical degree, Picotte returned to the Omaha Reservation and became the first Native American woman to practice medicine in the United States. She worked tirelessly to improve the health and well-being of her community, treating both physical and mental illnesses. Picotte established the first hospital on the reservation, where she implemented modern medical practices and provided care to thousands of patients.
Picotte was not only a skilled physician but also a vocal advocate for social reform and women’s rights. She fought for the rights of Native Americans, working to secure land allotments and improve living conditions on reservations. She also advocated for temperance, believing that alcohol consumption was detrimental to the health and welfare of her community.
In addition to her medical and advocacy work, Picotte was a prolific writer and public speaker. She used her platform to raise awareness about the challenges faced by Native Americans and to promote cultural preservation and understanding. Her speeches and writings inspired many and contributed to the growing awareness of Native American issues in mainstream society.
Susan La Flesche Picotte’s contributions to medicine and social reform were significant and enduring. She paved the way for future generations of Native American women to pursue careers in medicine and played a key role in advancing the rights and well-being of Native American communities.