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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O PQ R S T U V W XYZ

Her name is Josephine

* Josephine Baker

born 1873 died 1945

..... American doctor and public health worker who organised the Little Mother's League and the FIRST Federation of Children's Agencies in New York City . In 1908 she founded the Bureau of Child Hygiene and so helped to decrease the death rate. She set up free milk clinics, licensed midwives and taught the use of silver nitrate to prevent blindness in newborns. She also lobbied President Wilson for the College Equal Suffrage League. New York University did not admit women as postgraduate students but this policy was changed after she refused a lectureship there because of that particular role

* Josephine Baker

neé Freda Josephine McDonald

born June 3rd 1906 died April 11th 1975

..... born in St Louis, Missouri she was the FIRST black star in a Ziegfield Show. She was a dance sensation in Paris in the 1920s, was married five times and adopted 12 children, all of different nationalities and who were known as the 'Rainbow Tribe'. During the war she was honoured for her work for the French Military Intelligence and was the FIRST American woman to receive French military honours at her funeral which was in Paris

* Josephine Barnes

neé Alice Josephine Mary Taylor Barnes

born August 18th 1912 died 1999

..... FIRST woman consultant in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Charing Cross Hospital in 1954, FIRST woman President of the British Medical Association from 1979-80 and chairman of the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Hospital Appeal Trust. She was a leading figure in the provision of better medicine for women and made valuable contributions to embryology, the availability of abortion and gynaecology

* Josephine Cochran

  ..... American who filed a patent in 1885 for the FIRST commercially produced dish-washing machine

* Josephine  - Empress

...... created the very FIRST recorded rose garden in 1799 . She sought advice from all the leading gardeners of the day and obtained specimens of every variety of rose in the world. The garden she created at Malmaison held over 250 different kinds but when she died the garden fell into decline but her dream lived on in the rose gardens that were later created

* Josephine Fowler

..... FIRST woman deputy governor at Winson Green Prison in Birmingham (1983/84) which is one of the country's largest and most over-crowded all- male jails. She joined the prison service at the age of 22 after studying to be a teacher

* Josephine Henderson

..... FIRST woman manager at Battersea Dogs Home since it was founded

* Josephine Shaw Lowell

born 1843 died 1905

..... in 1875 she was the FIRST woman member on the State Board of Charities and President of the FIRST Consumer Council from 1890-96. She also organised the women's Municipal League as a political lobby group

* Josephine Mensah

..... FIRST female British Rail shunter

* Josephine Paul

..... FIRST woman to head a member firm on the New York Stock Exchange

* Josephine Reynolds and Susan Batten

..... Britain's FIRST full-time female fire-fighters after completing a 15-month training course. Josephine was 18 years old and began her duties at Thetford Fire Station in Norfolk

* Josephine Ruffin

born 1842 died 1924

..... FIRST black municipal judge in Boston, America in 1883. She was an active worker for the rights of black people, women suffrage and the welfare movement and in 1895 she helped to establish the National Federation of Afro-American Women which in 1896 became the National Association of Coloured Women. In 1874 she organised the Women's Era Club but in 1900 a colour bar was applied to keep it out of the General Federation of Women s Clubs

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