Elizabeth Gooking Greenleaf
Pharmacist from Massachusetts, USA (1681–1762)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Elizabeth Gooking Greenleaf (November 11, 1681 – November 11, 1762[1]) was the first female apothecary in the Thirteen Colonies.[2] She is considered to be the first female pharmacist in the United States.[2]
November 21, 1681 [O.S. November 11, 1681]
Biography
Elizabeth Gooking was born in Edison, Province of New Jersey in 1681, the daughter of Samuel and Mary Gooking.[1] She married minister, physician, and apothecary Daniel Greenleaf (a Harvard graduate) in 1699.[2][3] The couple had twelve children.[4]
In 1727, Elizabeth moved to Boston to open an apothecary shop. Though this was a role which had been exclusively performed by men, Massachusetts did not have any laws in place to prevent women from practicing.[4] This made her the only woman among the 32 apothecaries working in New England at the time.[3]
Later in 1727, Daniel moved to Boston to join her after resigning his post as pastor of the Congregational Church in Yarmouth. They ran the shop together for several decades.[2]
Elizabeth Gooking Greenleaf died in 1762, followed by her husband in 1763.[2]
She was one of 17 women to be honored by the American Pharmacists Association in 2012, for "contributions to the profession and advancement of women in pharmacy."[5]