Surgeon Anita Newcomb McGee, A Soldier's Story
.png "Surgeon Anita Newcomb McGee – Spanish-American War U.S. Army Medical Officer")
Surgeon Anita Newcomb McGee, A Soldier's Story
Anita Newcomb McGee was born in Washington on November 4, 1864. She received her early education at private schools in the Washington, D.C., area before continuing her studies abroad at Newnham College and the University of Geneva. Returning to the United States, she earned her medical degree in 1892 from Columbian College (now Georgetown University) and completed advanced coursework in gynecology at Johns Hopkins University.
Beyond medicine, McGee was deeply engaged in civic and scholarly life. She was a founding member and early officer of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and held memberships in the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Women’s Anthropological Society of America.
When the Spanish-American War erupted in 1898, McGee emerged as a critical figure in organizing medical support. As Director of the DAR Hospital Corps, she was responsible for screening and approving nurses for deployment to U.S. Army training camps and overseas service in Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the Philippines. Her work helped professionalize wartime nursing at a moment when disease posed a greater threat than combat.
In October 1898, Surgeon McGee was appointed Assistant Surgeon, rank equivalent to a lieutenant, making her the only woman commissioned officer of the Spanish-American War.
After the war, McGee confronted one of the most consequential inequities faced by women who had served: the absence of pay parity, rank, or veterans’ benefits for military nurses. At the time, nurses were contracted civilians, often recruited from private or religious institutions, and received none of the protections afforded to enlisted personnel.
.png "Quote on Spanish-American War Nurses by Anita Newcomb McGee")
McGee drafted Article 19 of the U.S. Army Reorganization Act, legislation that formally established nurses as part of the Army’s structure. The provision created permanent nursing positions, instituted a Chief Nurse role within the command hierarchy, and granted military status and veteran benefits to nurses. With the passage of the Act in 1901, the United States Army Nurse Corps became a permanent branch of the U.S. Army, an institutional change that continues to shape military medicine today.
In 1904, McGee again volunteered for overseas service, establishing a field hospital in Japan during the Russo-Japanese War, training nurses for the Japanese Red Cross, and inspecting field hospitals in Korea. She concluded her active military service in 1905.
That same year, McGee helped create the Spanish-American War Nurses Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery, honoring the women who served. and often died, fighting disease during the war.
Later in life, McGee moved to California, lecturing at the University of California and traveling extensively to speak on education, science, and women’s roles in public life. Her advocacy consistently encouraged women to pursue professional and intellectual leadership within their communities.
Surgeon Anita Newcomb McGee died on October 5, 1940. She is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
In 1966, the Daughters of the American Revolution established the Dr. Anita Newcomb McGee Award for the Outstanding Army Nurse of the Year in her honor—a lasting tribute to the woman who ensured that military nurses would finally be recognized as soldiers in every sense of the word.
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About the Author
a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller traveling through life
She shares her journeys at Take the Back Roads, explores new reads at Rite of Fancy, and highlights U.S. military biographies at Everyday Patriot.
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