Dorothea Dix Biography for Kids Dorothea Dix was a famous nurse
who fought for the rights of individuals with mental illnesses.
She is perhaps best known, however, as the superintendent of
nurses for the Union Army in the Civil War. Dorothea Dix was
born on April 4, 1802, in Hamden, Maine. She grew up in
Massachusetts. At the age of twelve, she went to live with
grandmother in Boston to escape her abusive father and dismal
childhood. From an early age, Dorothea was an ambitious and
determined women. At the age of fourteen, she started her first
school and gained a reputation as a capable teacher and strict
disciplinarian. Work was always paramount in Dorothea’s life,
and she started a more formal school in 1821 which catered to
Boston’s rich and elite. During this time, she eagerly tutored
poor and neglected students in her own home. Although Dorothea’s
chronic health problems caused her to leave her school, she
spent her recovery time writing children’s books. By 1836, her
health had deteriorated to such a p