Dorothy Alice Cornelius (March 9, 1918–1992) was an American

registered nurse A registered nurse (RN) is a healthcare professional who has graduated or successfully passed a nursing program from a recognized nursing school and met the requirements outlined by a country, state, province or similar government-authorized ...

from

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

who served in executive and in leadership positions in nursing. Cornelius was the only person to be president of the

American Nurses Association The American Nurses Association (ANA) is a 501(c)(6) professional organization to advance and protect the profession of nursing. It started in 1896 as the Nurses Associated Alumnae and was renamed the American Nurses Association in 1911. It is b ...

, the

International Council of Nurses The International Council of Nurses (ICN) is a federation of more than 130 national nurses associations. It was founded in 1899 and was the first international organization for :Health care occupations, health care professionals. It is headqua ...

, and the

American Journal of Nursing The ''American Journal of Nursing'' (AJN) is a monthly peer-reviewed nursing journal established in 1900. the editor-in-chief is Carl Kirton and it is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. In 2009 the journal was selected as one of the "10 ...

Company.

Early life and education

Dorothy Alice Cornelius was born on March 9, 1918, in

Johnstown, Pennsylvania Johnstown is the largest city in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 18,411 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located east of Pittsburgh, it is the principal city of the Metropolitan statistical area ...

. Cornelius earned a

diploma in nursing A Diploma in Nursing or Nursing Diploma is an entry-level tertiary education nursing credential. Background In the United States, this diploma is usually awarded by hospital-based nursing schools. Diploma programs in the United States require ...

from the Conemaugh Valley Memorial Hospital School of Nursing in Johnstown, PA in 1939. She obtained a Bachelor of Science in nursing from the

University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing The University of Pittsburgh, School of Nursing is the nursing school of the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt), located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded on April 6, 1939, the Pitt School of Nursing was officially separated from the School of Med ...

in 1942.

Career

Early career

After graduation, Cornelius worked as a

public health nurse Public health nursing, also known as community health nursing is a nursing specialty focused on public health. The term was coined by Lillian Wald of the Henry Street Settlement, or, Public health nurses (PHNs) or community health nurses "integrat ...

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

, as director of the

Tuberculosis Hospital of Pittsburgh The Tuberculosis Hospital of Pittsburgh in the Hill District neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, is a complex of eight buildings, with the first building completed in 1912. It was listed on the National Register of Historic ...

. She worked for the

American Red Cross The American National Red Cross is a Nonprofit organization, nonprofit Humanitarianism, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. Clara Barton founded ...

in Johnstown and

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...

, as chief nurse of the blood donation program. During World War Two, Cornelius served in the United States Navy Corp of Nurse, Lieutenant Junior Grade.

Ohio Nurses Association

Cornelius held leadership positions in Ohio where she served as the executive director of the Ohio Nurses Association and the editor of the ''Ohio Nurses Review'' from 1957 to 1983. She was appointed to the Governor's Commission on Aging in Ohio in 1961 and chaired the Ohio Women's Defense Council in 1963, and the Girls Industrial School.

American Nurses Association

In 1960, Cornelius was appointed to the American Nurses Association's Committee on Economic and General Welfare. She was elected the first vice-president of the American Nurses Association in 1964. During this period, Cornelius was also the chairwomen of the American Nurses Association's Finance, Retirement, and Employee Relations Committees. Cornelius took on the position of president of the American Nurses Association in 1968. Cornelius worked to professionalize nursing and for mandatory licensure of nurses.

International Council of Nurses

In 1973, Cornelius was elected president of the International Council of Nurses.

United States Federal Committees

Cornelius was appointed to national committees by

United States Presidents The president of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States, indirectly elected to a four-year term via the Electoral College. Under the U.S. Constitution, the officeholder leads the executive branc ...

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was the 34th president of the United States, serving from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, he was Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionar ...

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, under whom he had served a ...

, and

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until Resignation of Richard Nixon, his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...

Political office

In 1963 Cornelius was the first women to run for city council in her hometown,

Reynoldsburg, Ohio Reynoldsburg is a city in Fairfield County, Ohio, Fairfield, Franklin County, Ohio, Franklin, and Licking County, Ohio, Licking counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. It is a suburban community in the Columbus, Ohio metropolitan area. The population ...

. She held other local positions including ward chairwomen and membership on the Reynoldsburg Planning and Zoning Commission.

Recognition

Cornelius was named one of Ohio's Top Ten Women in 1963. She received commendations from the governors of Ohio and Pennsylvania, and the Ohio Senate and House of Representatives. Other awards include the American Red Cross National Award for distinguished service, Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing in 1977. Cornelius was inducted in to the Ohio Women's Hall of Fame in 1981, the American Nursing Association Hall of Fame in 1996 and the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame in 1997. Cornelius was honored as an Ohio State University Local Legend in 2008. The Ohio Nurses Association headquarters building was named after Cornelius in 1977.

Death and legacy

Cornelius retired in 1983 because of declining health. She died in 1992. The Mid-Ohio District Nurses Association established the Dorothy Alice Cornelius Nursing Scholarship Fund to "honor the professionalism and ideals" of Cornelius.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cornelius, Dorothy American Nurses Association Hall of Fame inductees American nursing administrators People from Licking County, Ohio University of Pittsburgh alumni People from Reynoldsburg, Ohio American women nurses Public health nurses Tuberculosis nurses 1918 births 1991 deaths Red Cross personnel International Council of Nurses