Who Was Clara Barton?By: Stephanie Spinner, Who HQ Illustrator: David Groff Series: Who Was? Clarissa Clara Barton was a shy girl who grew up to become a teacher, nurse, and humanitarian. At a time when few women worked outside the home, she became the first woman to hold a government job, as a patent clerk in Washington, DC. In 1864, she was appointed lady in charge of the hospitals at the front lines of the Union Army, where she became known as the Angel of the