Mary Beard was born on November 14, 1876 in Dover, New Hampshire. She graduated from New York Hospital's School of Nursing in 1903 and then became a visiting nurse in Connecticut. Later, she became the Director of both the Instructive District Nursing Association and the Community Health Association in Boston.

From 1924 to 1938, Mary was Associate Director of the International Health Division of the Rockefeller Foundation. During her time there she influenced the field of nursing through the publication of two reports, The Nurse in Public Health and Midwifery in England. She also wrote for the numerous journals including The American Red Cross Nursing Service.

In 1938, Mary left the Foundation to become Director of Nursing Services for the American Red Cross where she remained until 1944. During her life she was also an active member in the National Organization for Public Health Nursing, American Nurses Association, the Florence Nightingale International Foundation, and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Nursing. Mary Beard passed away in December of 1946 in New York leaving behind a legacy of progressive nursing education and standards.