Florence S. Mahoney

During Florence Stephenson Mahoney’s long life (1899–2002), she worked diligently as an unpaid champion of increased Federal spending for health research. She was a steadfast advocate for NIH and for the creation of NIA. This annual lecture series is a tribute to her vision.

Mrs. Mahoney grew up in rural Indiana, but in midlife moved to Washington, D.C., where her Georgetown home became a gathering place for politicians, researchers, and physicians. From there, she formed a formidable alliance with Mary Lasker and lobbied Senators such as Claude Pepper, Ernest Hollings, Lister Hill, and Thomas Eagleton for greater funding for biomedical research. Many U.S. Presidents, including Harry Truman, John Kennedy, and Lyndon Johnson, were influenced by her persistent and persuasive reasoning.

Mrs. Mahoney was interested in many areas of health care and advocated increased spending for research on cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, arthritis, and mental illness. She served on numerous boards and commissions, including the National Community Committee on Mental Health; the Lasker Foundation; the National Advisory Arthritis and Metabolic Diseases Council; the President’s Commission on Heart Disease, Cancer, and Stroke; and the National Advisory Child Health and Human Development Council.

As a charter member of the National Advisory Council on Aging from 1974 to 1978, Mrs. Mahoney contributed energy and expertise to ensure the success of the newly formed NIA.

NIH has named the plaza on the east side of the Mark O. Hatfield Clinical Research Center the “Florence S. Mahoney Courtyard," honoring a private citizen who dedicated her time and talent to fostering medical research. NIA is pleased this woman—who gave so generously of herself to enhance the lives of people worldwide—has been honored in this way.