Robert Fulton Boyd (1855 - 1912)

Born 8 Jul 1855 in Pulaski, Giles, Tennessee, United States

Died 20 Jul 1912 at age 57 in Nashville, Davidson, Tennessee, United States

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Biography

Robert Boyd is Notable.

Robert Boyd was born in Tennessee.

Robert Fulton Boyd (1858-1912) was a medical doctor, dentist, pharmacist, professor, teacher, politician, and most notably, the co-founder and first president of the National Medical Association. He was a man of many talents, infinite curiosity and compassion who multifariously impacted the lives of the communities he was a part of, all while remaining humble. He fought political oppression by involving himself in local politics, and racial segregation in healthcare, faced by the black community in the 19th century, leaving a permanent mark on the American medical community. Although his life was cut short, Boyd nonetheless enlightened the people around him, inspiring education and healthcare.^[1]

Born a Giles County slave, Robert Boyd came to Nashville after emancipation. He worked half-days for his meals while attending Fisk. In 1880 he enrolled in Central Tennessee (later Meharry) Medical School, graduating with honors in two years. He also graduated from Central Tennessee Dental College (1886), studied gynecology at the University of Chicago (1890), and received a Master of Arts (1891). He launched a busy medical practice, taught gynecology and clinical medicine at Meharry (1893 until his death), opened a teaching hospital (1900), and was chosen president of People’s Savings Bank and Trust (1909). He was a founder and first president of the organization that became the National Medical Association. Deeply concerned about the high mortality rate among African Americans, he wrote and lectured widely on the subject, meeting with local citizens to teach them how to avoid illness and combat tuberculosis. He was so widely beloved in Nashville that his funeral had to be held in Ryman Auditorium. (Written by Kathy Lauder and shared here with her permission.)

Sources

1. ↑ Wikipedia Profile https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_F._Boyd

• Biographical Profile - Wynn, Linda T. "Robert Fulton Boyd." Lovett Bobby L. (Editor). 1996. Profiles of African Americans in Tennessee. Nashville TN: Tennessee State University. Accessed 31 August 2023. Available online: https://ww2.tnstate.edu/library/digital/RFBoyd.htm

• *"United States, Freedman's Bank Records, 1865-1874", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NSBW-C5Y : Thu Jul 20 22:23:59 UTC 2023), Entry for Robert Boyd and Edward, 04 Nov 1872.

• Memorial: Find a Grave (has image)
  Find A Grave: Memorial #22838659 (accessed 31 August 2023)
  Memorial page for Dr Robert Fulton Boyd (8 Jul 1855-20 Jul 1912), citing Mount Ararat Cemetery, Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee, USA; Maintained by Taneya Koonce (contributor 46908256).

• Death: "United States Deceased Physician File (AMA), 1864-1968"
  citing Digital film/folder number: 005873876; Record number: 0
  FamilySearch Record: WZ7D-2HW2 (accessed 31 August 2023)
  FamilySearch Image: 3QS7-89QG-K9C5-V Image number 02560
  Robert Fulton Boyd death 20 Jul 1912 in Nashville, Davidson, Tennessee, United States.