Mary Eliza Mahoney was the first African American graduate nurse in the United States. In 1879, she graduated from the Training School for Nurses of the New England Hospital for Women and Children, whose charter stipulated that only one Negro student could be admitted each year.
Her nursing career spanned more that forty years of providing patient care, raising the stature of African Americans in the nursing profession, and making outstanding contributions to nursing organizations. She addressed the first conference of the National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses (NACGN) in 1909.
An award was established in her honor in 1936 by that organization to recognize her example to nurses of all races. The Mary Mahoney Award was continued when the NACGN merged with the American Nurses Association in 1951. This award recognizes nurses who have made significant contributions to advancing opportunities in nursing to members of minority groups.