Helen F. Johnston (February 5, 1891 – June 15, 1969) was an American physician and clubwoman, based in Iowa. She was president of the

American Medical Women's Association The American Medical Women's Association (AMWA) is a professional advocacy and educational organization of women in medicine, women physicians and medical students. Founded in 1915 by Bertha vanhoosen, Bertha Van Hoosen, the AMWA works to advance ...

from 1946 to 1947, and president of Altrusa International in 1928 and 1929.

Early life and education

Johnston was born in

Columbus City, Iowa Columbus City is a city in western Louisa County, Iowa, United States. The population was 392 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Muscatine Micropolitan Statistical Area. History Columbus City was platted in the 1840s. Geography Columbus C ...

, the daughter of Rufus Sherman Johnston and Louise Colton Johnston. Her father was active in local and state government. She earned a bachelor's degree from

Drake University Drake University is a private university in Des Moines, Iowa. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs, including professional programs in business, law, and pharmacy. Drake's law school is among the 25 oldest in the United States. Hi ...

in 1913, attended medical school at the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is org ...

. She completed her medical degree in 1919, from Cornell University College of Medicine. She was a member of

Delta Zeta Delta Zeta (, also known as DZ) is an international college sorority founded on October 24, 1902, at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Delta Zeta has 170 collegiate chapters in the United States and Canada, and over 200 alumnae chapters in Cana ...

sorority.

Career

From 1920 to 1959, Johnston maintained a private internal medicine practice in

Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, ...

, specializing in women's health and pediatrics. During the early 1920s she was involved with baby clinics held at

Iowa State University Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of the n ...

under provisions of the

Sheppard–Towner Act The Promotion of the Welfare and Hygiene of Maternity and Infancy Act, more commonly known as the Sheppard–Towner Act, was a 1921 U.S. Act of Congress that provided federal funding for maternity and childcare. It was sponsored by Senator Morris ...

. Later in the 1920s she was the national health chair of Delta Zeta. She was president of the American Medical Women's Association from 1946 to 1947. She was a councilor to the

Medical Women's International Association The Medical Women's International Association is a non-governmental organization founded in 1919 with the purpose of representing female physicians worldwide. Esther Lovejoy was its first president. The Association grew from an international mee ...

, attending the group's international conferences in Sweden (1934), the Netherlands (1947), France (1952), England (1958), Germany (1960), and the Philippines (1962). Johnston was Iowa state chair of the

National Woman's Party The National Woman's Party (NWP) was an American women's political organization formed in 1916 to fight for women's suffrage. After achieving this goal with the 1920 adoption of the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, the NW ...

in 1924. She was elected the ninth national president of Altrusa International in 1928 and 1929, and stayed involved with the organization for many years after. She served on the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in Services from 1954 to 1957. She was named Iowa's Medical Woman of the Year in 1956, and Delta Zeta's Woman of the Year in 1957.

Personal life and legacy

Helen Johnston had spinal surgery in 1962, and left Des Moines in 1964 to live with her friend, Mrs. Arthur Turner, in

Sun City, California Sun City is a former census-designated place (CDP) in Riverside County, California, Riverside County, California, United States, and now a neighborhood of the city of Menifee, California. Along with the neighboring communities of Quail Valley, Men ...

. She died there in 1969, from cancer, aged 78 years. Her home in Des Moines, built in 1938, is still a striking example of modern architecture in that city, now known as the Helen Johnston House.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnston, Helen 1891 births 1969 deaths 20th-century American women physicians 20th-century American physicians Drake University alumni People from Des Moines, Iowa Weill Cornell Medical College alumni Clubwomen Delta Zeta National Woman's Party activists