Elizabeth Wingfield Barnett (1901-1999) was born in Atlanta, Georgia, to Samuel (1850-1943) and Sarah Carter Barnett (1875-1945). The Barnett family lived on Piedmont Avenue where Elizabeth grew up with an older sister, Mary McDonald (1899-1977), and a younger brother, Samuel Carter (1905-1959). In 1923, Barnett graduated from Randolph Macon Women's College (later Randolph College) in Lynchburg, Virginia, and earned a Master of Social Work degree from Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana. Barnett worked for the Federal Emergency Relief Administration in Shreveport during the Great Depression supervising social caseworkers. She also taught at Tulane University's School of Social Work for 10 years. In 1946, Barnett moved to Greenwich, Connecticut, to serve as a Visiting Professor Fellow at Columbia University's School of Social Work. Later Barnett worked as a social caseworker for Family Centers Inc. and supported the American Indian College Fund organization.