Daniel Hale Williams

Daniel Hale Williams was a pioneer in medicine: He was the first African-American to found a hospital in the United States, and one of the first to perform successful open-heart surgery. The procedure had been attempted before but was successful only once. Williams’ operation was the second in which the patient survived.

Daniel Hale Williams III was born on Jan. 8, 1856, in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, the fifth of seven children born to Daniel Hale Williams Jr. and Sarah Price Williams. His father was a freedman who was a barber.

In 1866, his father died from tuberculosis. Williams was sent to Baltimore to live with relatives. He was an apprentice to a shoemaker but loathed the profession and returned to his mother, who had relocated to Illinois.

He later tried his hand at his father’s profession, opening a barbershop in Wisconsin, but Williams wanted something else. He pursued more education.

Working as an apprentice under a successful surgeon, he found the profession that would become his life’s work. In 1880, he enrolled in Chicago Medical College, now known as Northwestern University Medical School. He graduated in 1883 and opened his own office in Chicago.

Hospital Accessibility

Williams founded Provident Hospital and Training School for Nurses on Chicago’s South Side in 1891. African-American doctors weren’t allowed to practice in Chicago hospitals when Williams graduated from medical school. Provident was established primarily for African-Americans since white hospitals didn’t accept black patients. The hospital was lauded by Frederick Douglass as a model of achievement and possibilities for blacks. Williams worked tirelessly in the effort to create more hospitals and increase medical accessibility for African-Americans.

In 1894, Williams was appointed surgeon-in-chief at Freedmen’s Hospital in Washington, D.C. The medical facility provided care for former slaves. The facility was in poor condition and had a high mortality rate. It was in much need of revitalization.

Williams died of a stroke in Idlewild, Michigan, on Aug. 4, 1931. He was 73.