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Elizabeth Gooking Greenleaf

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Elizabeth Gooking Greenleaf (November 11, 1681 – November 11, 1762[1]) was the first female apothecary in the Thirteen Colonies.[2] She is considered to be the first female pharmacist in the United States.[2]

Biography

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Elizabeth Gooking was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts Colony in 1681, the daughter of Samuel and Mary Gooking.[1] She married minister, physician, and apothecary Daniel Greenleaf (a Harvard graduate) in 1699.[2][3] The couple had twelve children.[4]

In 1727, Elizabeth moved to Boston to open an apothecary shop. Though this was a role which had been exclusively performed by men, Massachusetts did not have any laws in place to prevent women from practicing.[4] This made her the only woman among the 32 apothecaries working in New England at the time.[3]

Later in 1727, Daniel moved to Boston to join her after resigning his post as pastor of the Congregational Church in Yarmouth. They ran the shop together for several decades.[2]

Elizabeth Gooking Greenleaf died in 1762, followed by her husband in 1763.[2]

She was one of 17 women to be honored by the American Pharmacists Association in 2012, for "contributions to the profession and advancement of women in pharmacy."[5]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Oakes, Rensselaer Allston (1905). Genealogical and Family History of the County of Jefferson, New York. Higginson Book Company. p. 241. Retrieved October 31, 2016 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ a b c d e Henderson, Metta Lou; Worthen, Dennis B. (March 8, 2002). American Women Pharmacists: Contributions to the Profession. CRC Press. p. 2. ISBN 9780789010926. Retrieved October 31, 2016 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ a b Zebroski, Bob (August 7, 2015). A Brief History of Pharmacy: Humanity's Search for Wellness. Routledge. p. 115. ISBN 9781317413332. Retrieved October 31, 2016 – via Google Books.
  4. ^ a b Higby, Gregory (2001). Apothecaries and the Drug Trade: Essays in Celebration of the Work of David L. Cowen. Amer. Inst. History of Pharmacy. p. 24. ISBN 9780931292361. Retrieved October 31, 2016 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ "Achievements of women in pharmacy lauded at Foundation dedication". American Pharmacists Association. November 1, 2012. Archived from the original on February 9, 2019. Retrieved October 31, 2016.