Estelle Massey Riddle Osborne (May 3, 1901 – December 12, 1981) was an

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

nurse and educator. She served in many prominent positions and worked to eliminate racial discrimination in the nursing field.

Early life and education

Estelle Massey was born in

Palestine, Texas Palestine ( ) is a city in and the seat of Anderson County in the U.S. state of Texas. It was named for Palestine, Illinois, by preacher Daniel Parker, who had migrated from that town. The city had a 2020 U.S. census population of 18,544, mak ...

in 1901, the eighth of eleven children. Despite being uneducated and working in menial jobs, her parents, Hall and Bettye Estelle Massey, sent all of their children to college. Estelle received a teaching certificate from Prairie View State Normal and Industrial College (now

Prairie View A&M University Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU or PV) is a public historically black land-grant university in Prairie View, Texas. Founded in 1876, it is one of Texas's two land-grant universities and the second oldest public institution of higher learnin ...

), but decided to move into nursing after she was nearly killed in a violent incident while teaching at a public school. She joined the first nursing class of St. Louis City Hospital #2 (later

Homer G. Phillips Hospital Homer G. Phillips Hospital was the only public hospital for African Americans in St. Louis, Missouri, from 1937 until 1979, when the city still had segregated facilities. Located at 2601 N. Whittier Street in The Ville neighborhood, it was the fi ...

), and became a

head nurse Nursing management consists of the performance of the leadership functions of governance and decision-making within organizations employing nurses. It includes processes common to all management like planning, organizing, staffing, directing and ...

there after graduating in 1923. In 1926 or 1927 she moved to New York City, to teach at the Lincoln School of Nursing and the

Harlem Hospital School of Nursing Harlem Hospital School of Nursing was a training school for African-American women, which was established at Harlem Hospital in Harlem, New York City in 1923. It was founded due to the lack of nursing schools in New York that accepted African Amer ...

. She attended summer sessions at

Teachers College, Columbia University Teachers College, Columbia University (TC), is the graduate school of education, health, and psychology of Columbia University, a private research university in New York City. Founded in 1887, it has served as one of the official faculties and ...

, and eventually attended as a full-time student with the aid of a scholarship from the

Rosenwald Fund The Rosenwald Fund (also known as the Rosenwald Foundation, the Julius Rosenwald Fund, and the Julius Rosenwald Foundation) was established in 1917 by Julius Rosenwald and his family for "the well-being of mankind." Rosenwald became part-owner of S ...

. She received a bachelor's degree in 1930, and a master's in nursing education in 1931, becoming the first African American to do so. She married Dr. Bedford N. Riddle in 1932.

Career

Estelle Massey Riddle became educational director at

Freedmen's Hospital Howard University Hospital, previously known as Freedmen's Hospital, is a major hospital located in Washington, D.C., built on the site of the previous Griffith Stadium. The hospital has served the African-American community in the area for over ...

(now

Howard University Hospital Howard University Hospital, previously known as Freedmen's Hospital, is a major hospital located in Washington, D.C., built on the site of the previous Griffith Stadium. The hospital has served the African-American community in the area for over ...

) in Washington, D.C. In 1934 she worked as a researcher for the Rosenwald Fund, then returned to Homer G. Phillips Hospital in St. Louis to become its first black director of nursing. In 1943, she was appointed as a consultant to the National Nursing Council for War Service. In this role she recruited student and graduate nurses and acted as a liaison to nursing schools, working to change discriminatory policies. By the end of World War II, 20 new nursing schools had begun admitting black students, the Cadet Nurse Corps had inducted 2,000 black members, and bans on black nurses had been rescinded by both the

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

and

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

. In 1945 she became the first African American instructor at New York University's Department of Nursing Education. In 1954 she became Associate Professor of Nursing Education at the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...

. In 1972 she taught at Central Nursing School of Lincoln Junior College in Kansas City, Missouri.

Organization memberships

* President of the

National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses The National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses was a professional organization for African American nurses founded in 1908. Foundation In 1906, Connecticut nurse Martha Minerva Franklin surveyed African American nurses to see what challenges ...

(NACGN), 1934–1939 *

American Nurses Association The American Nurses Association (ANA) is a 501(c)(6) professional organization to advance and protect the profession of nursing. It started in 1896 as the Nurses Associated Alumnae and was renamed the American Nurses Association in 1911. It is ba ...

Board of Directors (ANA's first black elected official), 1948–1952 * ANA delegate to the

International Council of Nurses The International Council of Nurses (ICN) is a federation of more than 130 national nurses associations. It was founded in 1899 and was the first international organization for health care professionals. It is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerl ...

, 1949 *

National League for Nursing The National League for Nursing (NLN) is a national organization for faculty nurses and leaders in nurse education. It offers faculty development, networking opportunities, testing services, nursing research grants, and public policy initiatives ...

Assistant Director, 1959 *

National Council of Negro Women The National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1935 with the mission to advance the opportunities and the quality of life for African-American women, their families, and communities. Mary McLeod Bethune, the f ...

Local Program Committee chair * Key Women of Greater New York *

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E. ...

(NAACP) *

National Urban League The National Urban League, formerly known as the National League on Urban Conditions Among Negroes, is a nonpartisan historic civil rights organization based in New York City that advocates on behalf of economic and social justice for African Am ...

Awards and recognition

Mary Mahoney Award Mary Eliza Mahoney (May 7, 1845 – January 4, 1926) was the first African-American to study and work as a professionally trained nurse in the United States. In 1879, Mahoney was the first African American to graduate from an American school of nu ...

, 1946 *

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

Nurse of the Year, 1959 *

Teachers College A normal school or normal college is an institution created to train teachers by educating them in the norms of pedagogy and curriculum. In the 19th century in the United States, instruction in normal schools was at the high school level, turni ...

Nursing Education Alumni Association honorary life membership, 1976 *

American Academy of Nursing The American Academy of Nursing (AAN) is a professional organization that generates, synthesizes, and disseminates nursing knowledge to contribute to health policy and practice for the benefit of the public and the nursing profession. Founded in 1 ...

honorary membership, 1978 * Estelle M. Osborne Memorial Scholarship established, 1982 *

American Nurses Association Hall of Fame The American Nurses Association Hall of Fame or the ANA Hall of Fame is an award which recognizes the historical contributions to nursing in the United States. History In 1974, in preparation for the United States Bicentennial, the American Nurse ...

, 1984 * New York University annual Estelle Osborne Celebration established, 1991 *

Chi Eta Phi Chi Eta Phi Sorority, Inc () is an international, nonprofit, professional service organization for registered professional nurses and student nurses, representing many cultures and diverse ethnic backgrounds.1901 births 1981 deaths 20th-century American educators African-American nurses American nurses American school superintendents American women nurses Educators from Texas New York University faculty People from Palestine, Texas Prairie View A&M University alumni Teachers College, Columbia University alumni University of Maryland, Baltimore faculty Nursing educators 20th-century American women educators American women academics 20th-century African-American women 20th-century African-American educators