Stuff You Missed in History Class

Episode: SYMHC Classics: Dr. Lucy Hobbs Taylor
Host: Holly Fry & Tracy V. Wilson
Date: March 14, 2026 (original: June 29, 2022)
Podcast: iHeartPodcasts

Episode Overview

This episode celebrates the life and legacy of Dr. Lucy Hobbs Taylor, the first woman in the U.S.—and likely the world—to receive a formal dental degree. Holly and Tracy trace Taylor's journey from her early days in upstate New York through her struggles against gender discrimination, her perseverance in establishing a successful dental career, and her impact on the dental profession and broader women's rights movement. The hosts debunk myths, clarify historical context, and highlight the many women who predated or worked contemporaneously with Taylor in dentistry.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Early Life and Education

• Birth and Family Background

  • Lucy Hobbs was born on March 14, 1833, in upstate New York. Sources differ on her exact birthplace—most often cited as Franklin County or Clinton County. (04:58)
  • She had many siblings (possibly nine) and lost her mother young, but specific childhood details are scarce. (05:46)

• Initial Career: Teaching

  • Graduated from Franklin Academy in 1849 intending to become a teacher. Began teaching at 18, sometimes to students older than herself.
    • Notable Quote:
      "I had pupils older than myself who knew about as much as I did. But that did not shake my faith in myself..." (06:08, Lucy Hobbs, as recounted by Tracy)
  • Moved for teaching jobs, ending up in Brooklyn, Michigan, where a physician landlord inspired her interest in medicine. (06:29)

Transition to Medicine and Dentistry

• Attempt to Enter Medical School

  • Aimed to attend the Eclectic Medical Institute in Cincinnati in 1859, a school notable for admitting some early female medical students.
  • By the time Lucy applied, the school had stopped admitting women (since 1857). She was refused entry, and the president suggested she try dentistry instead. (07:58)

• Barriers to Dental Training

  • Lucy faced widespread rejection when seeking mentorship; some dentists claimed accepting her would ruin their practice.
    • Revealing anecdote: She was offered to clean one dentist's office in exchange for watching him work—she indignantly refused. (08:20)
  • Eventually, Dr. Jonathan Taft, dean of the Ohio College of Dental Surgery, allowed her to learn in his office for three months. She was later apprenticed to Dr. Samuel Wardle, working days without pay and sewing at night to support herself. (09:09)

Striking Out on Her Own

• Opening Her Practice Without a Degree

  • On Dr. Wardle's advice, she opened her own dental practice in Cincinnati on her 28th birthday (March 14, 1861), since having a degree was not strictly required at the time. (10:45)

• Relocating Due to Civil War

  • The Civil War prompted Lucy to move from Ohio to Iowa, settling first in Bellevue, then McGregor.
  • Found success quickly: ended her first year with money saved, then made a $3,000 profit her second year—an impressive sum in the 1860s. (11:47)

• Dealing with Sexism

  • Faced skepticism from male patients.
    • Memorable Story: A man made an appointment to "test" her with healthy teeth; she saw through it, yet drilled and filled a gold filling anyway, charging him full price.
      • "She saw the trick at once, but nevertheless commenced to work...She bored a hole in a sound tooth and filled it with gold, charging him the usual price." (12:19, recounted from the Burlington Democrat)

Significant Advances and Recognition

• Joining the Iowa State Dental Society

  • Invited in July 1865 by Dr. Lumen Church Ingersoll. Given a warm welcome and a public resolution encouraging the profession to accept women in dentistry. (17:18)
    • Notable Quote (from Ingersoll’s resolution):
      "...we Most cordially welcome Ms. Lucy B. Hobbs of McGregor to our number and to our professional pursuits, trials, aims and successes..." (17:54)
  • Elected as a representative to the American Dental Association meeting. (18:58)

• Finally Earning a Degree

  • Dr. Taft and the society’s support helped her get admitted to the Ohio College of Dental Surgery as a senior, granting her credits for her experience.
  • Earned her Doctor of Dental Surgery degree on February 21, 1866. (19:36)
    • Notable Quote:
      "She was, as it is often said, the first woman in the world to receive a dental degree." (19:36, Holly)

• Professional Contributions

  • Published a paper advocating for the use of mallets in dental fillings, improving efficiency for practitioner and comfort for patient.
    • Notable Quotes:
      "The mallet system has become the prevailing system among the best operators..." (20:25, Hobbs's paper)
      "With the mallet I have known the patient to sleep when the operation was long. This showing that it was not very unpleasant." (22:05, Hobbs’s paper)

Later Life and Legacy

• Marriage, Move to Kansas, and Joint Practice

  • Married James Myrtle Taylor in 1867; together, they ran a popular, respected dental practice in Lawrence, Kansas. Lucy taught James dentistry; they built their office and home together. (22:45)
  • Lucy was active in local women’s and charitable organizations, such as the Rebecca Lodge and Eastern Star Lodge. (23:35)
    • Notable Quote:
      "I am a New Yorker by birth, but I love my adopted country West. To it belongs the credit of making it possible for women to be recognized in the dental profession on equal terms with men." (23:35, quoted by Tracy)

• Continued Reputation and Community Work

  • Became a local celebrity; her travels and achievements were reported in newspapers. (27:46)
  • Continued practicing dentistry after her husband's death in 1886, though with reduced hours.
    • Notable Quote:
      "Regardless of the fact that she has retired from active business, there are many who will let no one do their work but her." (28:34, Topeka paper via Tracy)
  • Supported orphans and mothers' causes; personally furnished a room in an orphanage in Ottawa, Kansas. (30:01)

• Impact on Women in Dentistry

  • By 1900, there were almost 1,000 women dentists in the U.S., a major shift from Lucy’s early days. (35:08)
  • The American Association of Women Dentists’ highest honor is the Lucy Hobbs Taylor award. (35:08)

Historical Clarification and Context

• Was She Really the First Woman Dentist?

  • Lucy was the first woman in the world to receive a dental degree, but not the first to practice dentistry.
    • Earlier practitioners included Emmaline Roberts Jones in the U.S. and Madeline Francoise Calais in France in the 18th century. Women had been practicing dentistry around the world (often without formal documentation or degrees) for centuries. (36:02–38:12)
  • Notable Quote:
    "It's important just to remember that she was making her strides in the context of many others having gone before her...we're not erasing any of the other history of women in dentistry, because there's plenty." (38:12, Holly)

• Legacy & Memory

  • Upon Lucy's death in 1910, she was widely mourned as a local legend and trailblazer.
    • Notable Quote:
      "Dr. Lucy Taylor was one of the most striking figures in Lawrence. She occupied a position of honor and ability for years. She occupied a place high in the ranks of her profession. Dr. Taylor was a great charitable worker and did much good in a quiet, unobtrusive manner." (34:43, obituary quoted by Tracy)
  • Her diploma was kept by a dentist friend, Dr. Edward Baumgartner, and later donated to the Kansas State Historical Society. (33:07)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Tenacity:
  "She's interesting in that she was really just tenacious as hell. She got told no a lot and that did not deter her from her plan and she just kind of found her way around any obstacles."
  —Holly Fry (03:50)

• On Self-Belief as a Teacher:
  "I had pupils older than myself who knew about as much as I did. But that did not shake my faith in myself..."
  —Lucy Hobbs, via Tracy V. Wilson (06:08)

• Dentists' Reluctance:
  "She began a tour of dentist offices in Cincinnati for a place to study. On every hand, she was rebuffed, though one man offered to let her clean his office and look on while he worked, which proposition was indignantly refused."
  —Tracy (08:20)

• On Mallets in Dentistry:
  "With the mallet I have known the patient to sleep when the operation was long. This showing that it was not very unpleasant."
  —Lucy Hobbs Taylor, via Tracy (22:05)

• On Women’s Role in Dentistry:
  "The profession of dentistry...has nothing in its pursuits foreign to the instincts of women. And on the other hand, presents in almost every applicant for operations a subject requiring a kind and benevolent consideration of the most refined and womanly nature."
  —Iowa State Dental Society Resolution, read by Tracy (17:54)

• On Lucy’s Own Pride in the West:
  "I am a New Yorker by birth, but I love my adopted country West. To it belongs the credit of making it possible for women to be recognized in the dental profession on equal terms with men."
  —Lucy Hobbs Taylor, quoted by Tracy (23:35)

• On Her Social Impact:
  "Dr. Taylor was a great charitable worker and did much good in a quiet, unobtrusive manner."
  —Lawrence Daly Journal via Tracy (34:43)

Timeline & Timestamps

• Lucy Hobbs’ Birth, Education, and Early Career:

  • [04:58] – Born in Upstate New York, 1833
  • [05:46] – Graduated from Franklin Academy, initial teaching career
  • [06:29] – Inspired by a physician landlord in Michigan

• Medical & Dental Aspirations and Obstacles:

  • [07:01] – Attempt to enter Eclectic Medical Institute
  • [08:20] – Searching for dental mentorship, facing rejection
  • [09:09] – Apprenticeship with Dr. Samuel Wardle

• Opening Her First Practice, Civil War, Iowa Years:

  • [10:45] – Opens own dental practice, 1861
  • [11:47] – Moves to Iowa, rapid success in dentistry
  • [12:19] – Anecdote about proving herself to skeptical male patients

• Recognition, Degree, and Professional Impact:

  • [17:18] – Invited to and welcomed by Iowa State Dental Society
  • [19:36] – Earns DDS degree, 1866
  • [20:09–22:05] – Advocates mallet use in fillings, publishes in dental journal

• Kansas Career, Community Involvement, Legacy:

  • [22:45] – Marriage, move to Lawrence, joint dental practice
  • [23:35] – Joins Rebecca Lodge, other civic groups, lauds Kansas for opportunities
  • [28:34] – Community refuses to let Lucy retire
  • [30:01] – Household Charitable acts (Ottawa orphanage)

• Death and Lasting Influence:

  • [32:13] – Retires, has a stroke and passes away in 1910
  • [34:43] – Diploma passed to Dr. Baumgartner, obituary praise
  • [35:08] – The Lucy Hobbs Taylor Award, 1,000 women dentists by 1900

• Historical Context: Other Women Dentists:

  • [36:02–39:14] – Emmaline Roberts Jones, Madeline Francoise Calais, other early figures
  • [38:12] – Acknowledgment of undocumented women’s dental history worldwide

Final Reflections

Holly and Tracy close by honoring Dr. Lucy Hobbs Taylor’s perseverance and contributions, but are careful to situate her within a broader, often under-acknowledged history of women in dentistry:

"Though we definitely honor Lucy Hobbs Taylor as a trailblazer, it's important just to remember that she was making her strides in the context of many others having gone before her."
—Holly Fry (38:12)

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