Charlotte Fairbanks

Charlotte Fairbanks (December 11, 1871 – February 15, 1932) was an American medical doctor and chemist. She earned a B.A. from Smith college in 1894, and graduated with a Ph.D. in chemistry from Yale at the age of 25. By this time she had published three papers discussing analytical chemistry. She was the granddaughter of Thaddeus Fairbanks, who was a well-known inventor at the time. Fairbanks earned her M.D. and became a practicing physician in 1902. At the beginning of WWI, Fairbanks joined the American Women's Hospital unit in France and was stationed in Luzancy, France, where she spent a year as the chief surgeon at the hospital. For her efforts, she was awarded the Medal of French Gratitude, and was awarded French citizenship. She returned after the war and opened a practice in her hometown of St. Johnsbury, where she was an active member of the community.