James W. Ames
Encyclopedia
James W. Ames was an African-American physician.
Ames was educated at Straight University
(now Dillard University
) in New Orleans, and then received a degree from Howard University
. He had taught school in New Orleans as well.
Ames moved to Detroit in 1894. In the mid-1890s Ames was elected as a Republican
to the Michigan House of Representatives with the endorsement of Hazen Pingree.
In 1918 he led a group of 30 African-American physicians who founded Dunbar Hospital
in Detroit
. This hospital was organized because no other hospital in the city would admit African-Americans at that time. The hospital was named in honor of Paul Laurence Dunbar
who had written poetry in favor of Pingree (and thus indirectly in favor of Ames) back in the 1890s.
Ames also served as a trustee of the Phillis Wheatley Home for Aged Colored Ladies. His wife served as treasurer for this institution.
Ames also served as an inspector for the Board of Health of Detroit.
Ames was educated at Straight University
Straight University
Straight University, after 1915 Straight College, was a historically black college that operated between 1868 and 1934 in New Orleans, Louisiana. It was founded by the American Missionary Association.-Campus:...
(now Dillard University
Dillard University
Dillard University is a private, historically black liberal arts college in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded in 1930 incorporating earlier institutions that went back to 1869, it is affiliated with the United Church of Christ and the United Methodist Church....
) in New Orleans, and then received a degree from Howard University
Howard University
Howard University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States...
. He had taught school in New Orleans as well.
Ames moved to Detroit in 1894. In the mid-1890s Ames was elected as a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
to the Michigan House of Representatives with the endorsement of Hazen Pingree.
In 1918 he led a group of 30 African-American physicians who founded Dunbar Hospital
Dunbar Hospital
Dunbar Hospital was the first hospital in Detroit, Michigan for the black community. It is located at 580 Frederick Street, and is currently the administrative headquarters of the Detroit Medical Society. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.- Building construction...
in Detroit
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
. This hospital was organized because no other hospital in the city would admit African-Americans at that time. The hospital was named in honor of Paul Laurence Dunbar
Paul Laurence Dunbar
Paul Laurence Dunbar was a seminal African American poet of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Dunbar gained national recognition for his 1896 "Ode to Ethiopia", one poem in the collection Lyrics of Lowly Life....
who had written poetry in favor of Pingree (and thus indirectly in favor of Ames) back in the 1890s.
Ames also served as a trustee of the Phillis Wheatley Home for Aged Colored Ladies. His wife served as treasurer for this institution.
Ames also served as an inspector for the Board of Health of Detroit.