The U.S. Census Bureau has always been ahead of the curve when it 

comes to employing women. Ever since 1880, when it started using 

professional enumerators rather than U.S. marshals, the Census 

Office has employed women in that role. With the advent of the 

Hollerith tabulating machine in 1890, women moved into the role of 

keypunchers. By 1909, 10 years before the 19th Amendment granted 

national women's suffrage, over 50 percent of the Census Bureau’s 

624 permanent employees were women. As women proved 

themselves as capable as the men, and with the increasing number of 

women in the workforce, it became harder for the Census Bureau to 

justify assigning all supervisory positions to men. By 1920, the 

Census Bureau would once again push forward appointing the first 

five female supervisors, as well as the first three female expert chiefs 

of divisions. Many of these pioneering women who worked on the 

census in these early years also broke through in other fields, such as 

law, medicine, education, activism, journalism, and the arts.

Mary Jane Van Holland, usually known as Jennie, was 

born on May 25, 1852, in Brooklyn, New York. Jennie’s 

father James, a bookbinder, passed away when she was a 

young child, and her mother, Eliza Harned, worked as a 

dressmaker to support Jennie and her brothers. Jennie 

attended Brooklyn Public School No. 19, and in 1877, she 

married Mills P. Baker. Unfortunately, both her husband 

and their only child, daughter Ella, passed away in 1879, 

and she decided to devote herself to the study and 

practice of medicine. In addition to the early deaths of 

her father, two brothers, husband, and child, Jennie was 

also influenced to enter medicine by her aunt, Dr. 

Clemence Harned Lozier. Dr. Lozier was a trailblazing 

physician and political activist who, in 1863, had 

established the New York Medical College and Hospital for 

Women, one of the first teaching hospitals for women. In 

all, Dr. Lozier inspired nine of her direct female relatives to 

join her profession. Jennie entered her aunt’s college in 

1879, and earned her medical degree on March 28, 1882. 

While attending medical school, Jennie trained to work with 

all members of the population and she later joked that she 

would send men to the male doctors if they agreed to send all of the women and children to her, a 

prospect that the male physicians realized would significantly reduce their business. During this 

crucial stage of Jennie’s education, she also served as a census enumerator in 1880. Similar to 

physicians, the job required knowledge of the local community, as well as the ability to gain the 

trust of the female housewives who most often answered the enumerator’s questions.

 Doctor, Suffragist, Enumerator

From the National Woman’s Party 

(www.nationalwomansparty.org) 

Accessed March 1, 2019.

Jennie’s 1880 census, above, showing her 

in college. Below, the header for one of 

the 1880 Census forms she enumerated.

The New York Times (New York, NY) June 5, 1880.
Starting on June 2, the day after Census Day, and 

ending on June 16, Jennie counted 2,244 people in 

her enumeration district in Brooklyn. The 1880 

Census marked an impressive expansion over 

previous censuses and the results, encompassing 

demographic, social, and economic statistics, as 

well as special reports on Alaska and American 

Indians, filled 22 volumes.

Following her census work, and after receiving her medical degree, Jennie established an 

impeccable reputation as a doctor. By 1889, she was the chief of staff of the Brooklyn Memorial 

Hospital for Women and Children, in addition to serving in the dispensary and on the board of 

managers. Jennie stayed at Memorial Hospital, surviving a fire and reconstruction, as well as 

constant funding battles, until the hospital was finally absorbed into a larger institution in the 

early 20th century. Known for her work with women and children, Jennie also possessed a 

reputation as an efficient and quick surgeon—important skills during a time when unreliable and 

developing methods of patient sedation meant 

that time constraints greatly impacted surgical 

outcomes. Throughout her life, Jennie remained 

active in several medical societies and clubs, 

including the King County Homeopathic Medical 

Society, the New York State Homeopathic Society, 

and the American Institute of Homeopathy.

While developing her medical skills, Jennie 

simultaneously fought for the equal rights of 

women. From the time she entered medical 

college until the passage of the 19th Amendment, 

Jennie spoke, traveled and advocated for 

women’s suffrage and their inclusion in civic life. 

She helped found the Elizabeth Cady Stanton 

Political Equality League and the National 

Woman’s Party. She served on the local, state, 

and national suffrage societies as well as the 

Brooklyn Women’s Club. Jennie’s medical 

background overlapped with her political activities as she taught women basic anatomy and 

hygiene techniques, and advocated for affordable healthcare 

for women and children in working families.

In addition to her activism, Jennie continued working as a 

doctor almost her entire life. She also enjoyed traveling 

extensively and visited Europe several times, as well as 

Canada, Mexico, and the western United States. Jennie was 

active in the Universalist Church, was a charter member of 

the Chiropean Club, a Brooklyn women’s club focused on 

health issues, and enjoyed singing. She passed away on 

January 15, 1931, in her lifelong home in Brooklyn, NY. The 

Census Bureau is proud of Jennie’s pioneering medical work, 

civic service, and her contributions to her community and 

country.

The New York Times (New York, NY) March 29, 1882.

Jennie’s Memorial Hospital for Women and Children, listed 

last, in the 1904 Census of Benevolent Institutions. This was 

one of the first special censuses conducted after Congress 

established a permanent Census Bureau in 1902.

The Brooklyn Daily Eagle (Brooklyn, NY) June 28, 1913. HB-19-0004