Mary Elizabeth Carnegie

Mary Elizabeth Carnegie (19 April 1916 – 20 February 2008) was an American educator and author in the field of nursing. Known for breaking down racial barriers, she was the first black nurse to serve as a voting member on the board of a state nursing association. She was later president of the American Academy of Nursing and edited the journal Nursing Research.

Early life Carnegie was born in Baltimore, Maryland, United States, received a diploma from the Lincoln School for Nurses, bachelor's degree from West Virginia State College, master's degree from Syracuse University, and doctor of public administration degree from New York University.

Between 1945 and 1953, Carnegie was a professor and dean of the nursing school at Florida A&M University. She was inducted into the Virginia Nursing Hall of Fame in 2009.

After developing hypertensive cardiovascular disease, Carnegie died in 2008 in Chevy Chase, Maryland. She had lived there for 25 years and had been married once; her husband died in 1954.