Lydia Hammond Strowbridge, MD

(1830–1904) Dr. Lydia was a physician, suffragist, abolitionist and progressive reformer. She specialized in diseases of women and children. During the years when it was considered rare for a woman to want to be a doctor, she challenged the social conventions of the day, opening doors for other women. Despite her own serious health issues, Dr. Lydia studied with local doctors in NYC ”one of the earliest women to do so."

She brought attention to many social issues, including abolition of enslavement, women's suffrage, the temperance movement and women's dress reform. Dr. Lydia was a speaker at the first New York State women's convention held at Congress Hall in Saratoga Springs.