Nathan Francis Mossell
Encyclopedia
Nathan Francis Mossell (July 27, 1856 – October 27, 1946) was the first African American
graduate of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
in 1882. He did post-graduate training at hospitals in Philadelphia and London
. In 1888 he was the first black physician elected as member of the Philadelphia County Medical Society. He helped found the Frederick Douglass
Memorial Hospital and Training School in West Philadelphia
in 1895, which he led as chief-of-staff and medical director until he retired in 1933.
. His mother was Eliza Bowers (1824- ), a free black
whose family had been transported to Trinidad
when she was a child. Mossell and Eliza met and married in Baltimore
after her return. In Canada the senior Aaron Mossell went to school to become literate and set up his own brick-making business.
Nathan's siblings were the following::
Nathan was the uncle of Aaron's daughter Sadie Tanner Mossell
(1898-1989), who in 1921 was the first African-American woman to receive a Ph.D. in the United States.
, England
.
In 1888 Mossell was elected to membership in the Philadelphia County Medical Society, the first black physician offered membership. In August 1895 he was the leading figure in the founding of the Frederick Douglass
Memorial Hospital and Training School. He served as chief-of-staff and medical director there until his retirement in 1933.
In 1948 Douglass Hospital merged with another predominantly black hospital, Mercy. In 1955 the new Mercy-Douglass Hospital building opened on Woodland Avenue, between 50th and 51st Streets, in West Philadelphia.
(1816-1890), who was of African, European
and Lenape
ancestry, and Emily Robinson. Together they had the following children: Florence Mossell and Mary Campbell Mossell.
He was the uncle by marriage of Paul Robeson
and his siblings, children of his wife's sister Maria Louisa Bustill
and her husband William Drew Robeson.
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
graduate of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
The Perelman School of Medicine , formerly the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, was founded in 1765, making it the oldest American medical school. As part of the University of Pennsylvania, it is located in the University City section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is widely...
in 1882. He did post-graduate training at hospitals in Philadelphia and London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. In 1888 he was the first black physician elected as member of the Philadelphia County Medical Society. He helped found the Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass was an American social reformer, orator, writer and statesman. After escaping from slavery, he became a leader of the abolitionist movement, gaining note for his dazzling oratory and incisive antislavery writing...
Memorial Hospital and Training School in West Philadelphia
West Philadelphia
West Philadelphia, nicknamed West Philly, is a section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Though there is no official definition of its boundaries, it is generally considered to reach from the western shore of the Schuylkill River, to City Line Avenue to the northwest, Cobbs Creek to the southwest, and...
in 1895, which he led as chief-of-staff and medical director until he retired in 1933.
Early life and education
Nathan Mossell was born in Hamilton, Canada in 1856, the fourth of six children. Both his parents were born in Maryland but had moved their family (with three small children) to Canada in 1853 to escape discrimination. His father Aaron Albert Mossell I (1824- ) was a brickmaker, the grandson of slaves, whose father had purchased his freedom. His great-grandfather was from West AfricaWest Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
. His mother was Eliza Bowers (1824- ), a free black
Free people of color
A free person of color in the context of the history of slavery in the Americas, is a person of full or partial African descent who was not enslaved...
whose family had been transported to Trinidad
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
when she was a child. Mossell and Eliza met and married in Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
after her return. In Canada the senior Aaron Mossell went to school to become literate and set up his own brick-making business.
Nathan's siblings were the following::
- May (1848 - ), born Maryland;
- Charles (1850 - ), born Maryland, graduated from Lincoln UniversityLincoln UniversityLincoln University or University of Lincoln or variations may refer to:in England*University of Lincolnin New Zealand*Lincoln University, New Zealandin the United States*Lincoln University...
and studied theologyTheologyTheology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
in Boston; became a missionaryMissionaryA missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
in HaitiHaitiHaiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
; - Boy, (c. 1853-c. 1870), born Maryland; died in Lockport, New York;
- Alvarilla (b. 1857- ), born Hamilton, Canada; joined her brother Charles as a missionary in Haiti; and
- Aaron Albert MossellAaron Albert MossellAaron Albert Mossell II was the first African-American to graduate from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and the father of Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander.-Life and career:...
II (1863-1951), b. Hamilton, Canada; he was the first African American to graduate from the University of PennsylvaniaUniversity of PennsylvaniaThe University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
law school; he married Mary Louisa Tanner (1866-?).
Nathan was the uncle of Aaron's daughter Sadie Tanner Mossell
Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander
Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander, born Sarah Tanner Mossell , was the first African-American woman to receive a Ph.D...
(1898-1989), who in 1921 was the first African-American woman to receive a Ph.D. in the United States.
Medical career
Mossell did his post-graduate training with Dr. D. Hayes Agnew in the Out-Patient Surgical Clinic of the University Hospital. His post-graduate studies included an internship in the Guy's, Queens College and St. Thomas hospitals in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
In 1888 Mossell was elected to membership in the Philadelphia County Medical Society, the first black physician offered membership. In August 1895 he was the leading figure in the founding of the Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass was an American social reformer, orator, writer and statesman. After escaping from slavery, he became a leader of the abolitionist movement, gaining note for his dazzling oratory and incisive antislavery writing...
Memorial Hospital and Training School. He served as chief-of-staff and medical director there until his retirement in 1933.
In 1948 Douglass Hospital merged with another predominantly black hospital, Mercy. In 1955 the new Mercy-Douglass Hospital building opened on Woodland Avenue, between 50th and 51st Streets, in West Philadelphia.
Marriage
He married Gertrude Emily Hicks Bustill (1948-1855) on July 12, 1893 in Philadelphia. Gertrude was the mixed-race daughter of Charles Hicks BustillCharles Hicks Bustill
Charles Hicks Bustill was a plasterer, abolitionist and conductor in the Underground Railroad before the American Civil War.-Early life and education:...
(1816-1890), who was of African, European
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and Lenape
Lenape
The Lenape are an Algonquian group of Native Americans of the Northeastern Woodlands. They are also called Delaware Indians. As a result of the American Revolutionary War and later Indian removals from the eastern United States, today the main groups live in Canada, where they are enrolled in the...
ancestry, and Emily Robinson. Together they had the following children: Florence Mossell and Mary Campbell Mossell.
He was the uncle by marriage of Paul Robeson
Paul Robeson
Paul Leroy Robeson was an American concert singer , recording artist, actor, athlete, scholar who was an advocate for the Civil Rights Movement in the first half of the twentieth century...
and his siblings, children of his wife's sister Maria Louisa Bustill
Maria Louisa Bustill
Maria Louisa Bustill Robeson was a Quaker schoolteacher; the wife of the Reverend William Drew Robeson of Witherspoon Church in Princeton, New Jersey and the mother of Paul Robeson and his siblings.-Birth:...
and her husband William Drew Robeson.