Nellie Jane DeWitt
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Nellie Jane DeWitt | |
|---|---|
 CAPT Nellie Jane DeWitt, USN | |
| Born | July 16, 1895 |
| Died | March 22, 1978 (aged 82) McLean, Virginia, U.S. |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Branch | Navy Nurse Corps |
| Service years | 1918 - 1950; |
| Rank | Captain |
| Commands | Superintendent/Director of the United States Navy Nurse Corps 1946–1950 |
| Conflicts | World War II |
Captain Nellie Jane DeWitt (July 16, 1895 – March 22, 1978) was the sixth and final Superintendent of the Navy Nurse Corps and became its first director.
Nellie Jane DeWitt was born in Susquehanna, Pennsylvania to Peter and Ella C DeWitt and grew up on her family's farm in Jackson, Pennsylvania. She attended Susquehanna High School. She graduated from Stamford Hospital School of Nursing in Stamford, Connecticut in 1917.
Navy Nurse Corps career
CAPT DeWitt joined the Navy Nurse Corps on October 26, 1918. Her first post was Naval Hospital, Charleston, South Carolina. She joined the Regular ranks in 1922. Duty stations included Newport, Rhode Island; Portsmouth, Virginia; Puget Sound; Washington, DC; San Diego, CA; Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. She was promoted to Chief Nurse in April 1937 and served as Chief Nurse at the Naval hospital, Aiea Heights in Hawaii.
Contributions as Superintendent
CAPT DeWitt took over as Superintendent in April 1946 at a time when the Nurse Corps was shrinking in size due to demobilization after World War II. On April 16, 1947, the Navy Nurse Corps became a staff corps, meaning that officers in the Nurse Corps were Navy officers. CAPT DeWitt became the Director of the Navy Nurse Corps. She retired on May 1, 1950 and returned to Pennsylvania.