Lucy Hobbs Taylor

Lucy Hobbs Taylor (March 14, 1833 – October 3, 1910) was an American dentist, known for being the first woman to graduate from dental school (Ohio College of Dental Surgery in 1866).

Once again, she applied to a dentistry school, this time Ohio College of Dentistry. She was once again refused admittance due to her gender. From there, a college graduate agreed to tutor her, allowing her to continue her studies towards dentistry. In 1861, she decided to open her own practice instead of attempting to get into a college once again. After a year, she moved to Iowa and opened a dentistry practice. This allowed her to be accepted as a dentist without the diploma and become part of the Iowa State Dental Society. and to receive a doctorate in dentistry. and began teaching for ten years in Michigan. In 1859, she moved to Cincinnati and applied to medical school at Eclectic Medical College. Hobbs was denied entrance because of her gender, but she was able to study privately under the supervision of a teacher from Eclectic. Hobbs applied once more to the dentistry program, but was again rejected. As a response, she opened up her own practice, allowing her to practice dentistry without having to obtain a diploma. she earned her doctorate in dentistry, She later wrote, "People were amazed when they learned that a young girl had so far forgotten her womanhood as to want to study dentistry."

Later life Hobbs next moved to Chicago, where she met James M. Taylor, whom she married in April 1867. Taylor then convinced her husband to also enter dentistry. The two then moved to Lawrence, Kansas, where they had a large and successful practice. Hobbs was involved in several fraternal organizations including Daughters of Rebekah, the auxiliary to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and Order of the Eastern Star, auxiliary to Freemasonry. In 1983, the American Association of Women Dentists honored Taylor by establishing the Lucy Hobbs Taylor Award, which it now presents annually to AAWD members in recognition of professional excellence and achievements in advancing the role of women in dentistry.