The first biography of one of Virginia’s greatest social reformers When Dr. Kate Waller Barrett died in 1925, the governor of Virginia ordered flags to be flown at half-staff, the first time in its four-century history that the commonwealth paid such a tribute to a woman. This is the first biography of Barrett, the ardent and remarkably successful Progressive Era social reformer. Barrett’s life spanned a time of seismic change in the nation and in women’s lives, particularly Southern women, as they forged new identities in the changing environment of the post–Civil War years and the Progressive era.   Barrett rebelled against the restrictions imposed on Southern women and established her reputation as a strong-willed advocate for what many people at the time considered to be society’s “outcasts”: unwed mothers and prostitutes. She successfully combined evangelism with a maternalist strategy that brought a uniquely feminine approach to bear on social issues affecting women and children, and her years of activism propelled her onto the national stage and earned her global recognition. President Theodore Roosevelt called her “one of the most useful women in the United States.” The outcast and lonely women of Richmond’s slums of Butchertown called her simply “Mother Barrett.” Dr. Kate Waller Barrett was a fascinating woman, unwavering in her social activism and tireless commitment to reform.  She was both a product of her time as well as a formidable force of change in the Progressive Era. In this engaging biography, Kathleen Waters Sander brings to life Dr. Barrett's now often-overlooked history, exploring how Barrett navigated complex issues of maternal and reproductive health, women's rights, sex-trafficking, and immigration-all concerns still relevant a century after Barrett's passing. Sander offers valuable insight into one woman's effort to bring change and make her mark on the history of the United States.? Clayton McClure Brooks, Mary Baldwin University, author of The Uplift Generation: Cooperation Across the Color Line in the Early 20th Century Virginia Dr. Kate Waller Barrett was a fascinating woman, unwavering in her social activism and tireless commitment to reform.  She was both a product of her time as well as a formidable force of change in the Progressive Era. In this engaging biography, Kathleen Waters Sander brings to life Dr. Barrett’s now often-overlooked history, exploring how Barrett navigated complex issues of maternal and reproductive health, women’s rights, sex-trafficking, and immigration—all concerns still relevant a century after Barrett’s passing. Sander offers valuable insight into one woman’s effort to bring change and make her mark on the history of the United States.― Clayton McClure Brooks, Mary Baldwin University, author of The Uplift Generation: Cooperation Across the Color Line in the Early 20th Century Virginia Kathleen Waters Sander is Adjunct Professor of History at the University of Maryland’s Global Campus and the author of Mary Elizabeth Garrett: Society and Philanthropy in the Gilded Age.