Mary E. Richmond (1861-1928)

Considered one of the principal founders of professional social work, Mary E. Richmond led the Charity Organization Societies (COSs) movement to develop schools to train social caseworkers. She taught volunteers and paid employees in various settings and developed some of the first teaching programs for soical work.

Her books were among the first to be used in training for social work. They included Friendly Visiting Among the Poor (1899), Social Diagnosis (1917), and What is Social Case Work? (1922)

(The Social Work Dictionary, Robert L. Barker, NASW Press)