Hildegard Peplau was born in Pennsylvania where she lived her life until graduating in 1931 from the Pennsylvania hospital school of Nursing. She then went on to receive many degrees from various universities and colleges througout the United States, including a B.A. in psychology, an M.A. in psychiatric nursing and an Ed.D in curriculum development.

In 1943,while obtaining her degree in psychology at Bennington College in Vermont, Hildegard Peplau worked alongside Erich Fromm, Freida Fromm-Reichmann and Harry Stack Sullivan. Much of Peplau's life's work focused on the extension of Sullivan's theories. During World War II, Peplau served in the army nurse corps and was stationed in England where she met and worked with many of the leading figures in British and American Psychiatry. After the war she continued to work with these men on improving the mental health system in the U.S. and on the passage of the mental health act.

Hildegard Peplau, known to many people as the "Nurse of the Century" holds a myraid of awards and positions. In 1996, she was honored as a "Living Legend" by the American Academy of Nursing and in 1998 was included into ANA's Hall of Fame.