Hallie Earle, M.D.
Waco, McLennan County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Harriet (Hallie) Earle was born on her family's ranch near Waco. She earned undergraduate and graduate degrees from Baylor University, and a medical degree from Baylor College of medicine. In 1907 Dr. Earle became the first licensed female physician in McLennan county and had her own practice in Waco from 1915 to 1948. After her retirement she farmed and was a weather observer for the U.S. Department of Commerce. Recorded 1996
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Harriet "Hallie" Earle was born on her family's ranch near Waco and earned undergraduate and graduate degrees from Baylor University before taking a medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine. In 1907 she became the first licensed female physician in McLennan County, running her own Waco practice from 1915 to 1948. In retirement she turned to farming and served as a weather observer for the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Why it matters
Dr. Earle broke a professional barrier for women in Central Texas, part of the broader Progressive-era movement that opened medicine and the professions to American women.
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