Daniel Hale Williams
1858-1931
Dr Williams around 1900.
Doctor
African-American Medical Pioneer
Level 1 biography
Fast Facts
Dr. Daniel Hale Williams was the first doctor to operate successfully on the human heart. He worked hard to provide good medical facilities for African Americans, and to train African American doctors and nurses.
Born: Hollidaysburg, Pa. January 18, 1858
Married: Alice Johnson April 2, 1898
Died: Idlewild, Michigan, August 4, 1931
African-American Medical Pioneer
Level 1 biography
Fast Facts
Dr. Daniel Hale Williams was the first doctor to operate successfully on the human heart. He worked hard to provide good medical facilities for African Americans, and to train African American doctors and nurses.
Born: Hollidaysburg, Pa. January 18, 1858
Married: Alice Johnson April 2, 1898
Died: Idlewild, Michigan, August 4, 1931
Early Life
Daniel Hale Williams was born on January 18, 1858. He was born in Hollidaysburg, Pa. He was the third family member to have that name. He was really Daniel Hale Williams III. Daniel’s father was a barber and a businessman. Daniel’s mother was Sara Price Williams. Sara’s mother was a cousin to Frederick Douglass. Daniel was one of seven children. There were two boys and five girls. In Daniel’s family everyone liked to sing. They enjoyed telling stories. Daniel’s father was a leader. He wanted better conditions for African American people. He started a group called the Equal Rights League. He worked very hard for this group. One day Mr. Williams got a bad cough. He became sick. He could not work any more. He rented his home and his barbershop. He took his family to Annapolis, Maryland. They went to live with Sara’s mother, Mrs. Price.
Daniel’s father believed that a good education led to a good life. He sent his children to school. He told them to study hard. Daniel and his brother and sister went to the Stanton School. Daniel’s favorite subject was history.
Mr. Williams kept working for the Equal Rights League. He traveled and gave speeches. He urged people to send their children to school. One day Mr. Williams came home from a trip. He was very sick. He had tuberculosis. Mr. Williams died in May 1867.
The Family Breaks Up
Daniel's mother was a helpless person. She did not know how to handle money. She was poor at making decisions. She could not keep her family together. She needed a place for all of them to go.
There were seven children. Daniel's older brother Price was sent to cousins in New York. He studied to be a lawyer. Two sisters, Ida and Alice, went to boarding school. Baby Florence found a home with Grandmother Price. Daniel's mother and two other sisters decided to move to Illinois. They had cousins there. They could learn hairdressing. Daniel was sent to a family friend. His name was Mr. Mason. He had a school where boys learned to be shoemakers. Now the family was all split up.
Finding His Own Way
Daniel hated shoe making. He decided to run away. He begged a ticket to Illinois from a family friend. He went to find his mother and sisters. He found them in Rockford Illinois. Daniel decided to stay, too. He went to school for two months a year. He learned to be a barber. He was content.
Daniel's mother decided to move again. She and her daughter Ann went back to the East Coast. Sally and Daniel were left behind. They lived with cousins. Daniel took several jobs.
When Daniel was 16, Sally decided to move. She went to Edgerton, Wisconsin. Daniel went, too. He opened a barbershop. But Daniel was not happy. There was no place to go to school. Daniel looked for a town where he could work and study. He found it. The town was called Janesville. It was also in Wisconsin. In Janesville there was a high school. There was also a man named Harry Anderson.
Harry Anderson owned a big barbershop. He was a kind man. He had a large, loving family. He hired Daniel and Sally. He welcomed them into his home. They became lifelong friends.
Working and Learning
Daniel went to school. He cut hair. Harry Anderson had a band. He taught Daniel to play the double bass. Then Daniel played in the band too. Daniel was busy and happy.
Daniel borrowed books from a customer. The customer urged him to go to college. Daniel started at a school that would prepare him for college. It was called the Janesville Classical Academy. He studied hard. He learned German and Latin. Daniel graduated from the Academy in 1877.
Daniel thought about college. First he thought he would like to study law. He read about it. He did not like settling arguments. He decided he would not like the law. Then Daniel thought about being a doctor. He asked to work with Dr. Henry Palmer. He would be Dr. Palmer's apprentice. Daniel started by sweeping the floor. Before long he was mixing medicine. He loved the work.
Daniel applied to medical school. He wrote to his mother. He asked her for money. She refused. Harry Anderson helped Daniel instead. He loaned him the money to go to school. In fall of 1880 Daniel moved to Chicago to start his studies. He rented a room from a friend of his father. Her name was Mrs. Jones.
Daniel went to class and studied. He worked very hard. He had no time and no extra money to have fun. During his vacations, Daniel went home to the Andersons. He worked at the barbershop. For two years Harry Anderson paid for Daniel's schooling. The third year, Daniel heard from his brother Price. Price was now a lawyer in Philadelphia. He gave Daniel the money for the third year.
In 1883, at the age of 27, Daniel graduated from medical school.
Medical Practice
Daniel opened an office in Chicago. Mrs. Jones sent her friends to him. He had patients from the neighborhood. He treated many different people. Daniel was kind. He listened to his patients. They liked and trusted him. They called him "Doctor Dan." Daniel worked long hours. He saw patients at all times of day.
Daniel was not attached to any hospital. He operated on his patients at their homes. Other doctors did this. Home operations were not very successful. Many patients died of infection. Daniel had learned about bacteria in school. He knew that bacteria could cause infection. Before he operated, he carefully scrubbed the room. His patients did not get infections. They recovered well.
Daniel saved his money. He started to pay back his debt to Harry Anderson.
Special Jobs
Soon Daniel was given more to do. He was asked to work at the South Side Dispensary. His job was to demonstrate surgery for medical students. One of his students was named Charles Mayo. Much later he started the famous Mayo Clinic.
Daniel was offered a volunteer job. This was at the Protestant Orphan Asylum. Daniel cared for many children there.
A third appointment was very special. The governor of Illinois appointed Daniel to the State Board of Health. Daniel was the first African American to have this honor. He took his position seriously. While on the board he recommended vaccinations for typhoid, scarlet fever, and smallpox. He knew that sanitation in some places was very poor. He worked for clean living conditions. He wanted better plumbing and better ways to dispose of waste.
Daniel and the Andersons
Harry Anderson and his family remained Daniel's friends. They moved to Chicago. Daniel helped them, the way they had once helped him.
Provident Hospital
Many African Americans were moving to Chicago. There was no good health care for them. African American doctors were not allowed to operate in area hospitals. There were no training programs for African American doctors and nurses. Daniel and Rev. Louis Reynolds decided to do something about this. They decided to start a new hospital. People of all races would be welcome there. They would call it Provident Hospital.
The two men started collecting money. Some people gave a great deal of money. Some could only give a little. Everyone who gave any amount became a member of the Provident Hospital Association. There were dances and chicken suppers. All money that was raised was saved for the hospital.
The committee found an old building. It was big enough to have 12 beds. They bought it. Volunteers cleaned the building. They painted it. Some people brought bedding and food. Others volunteered their time. After much work, the hospital was ready. Daniel invited the best African American doctors to work there. Seven women started training as nurses. Patients began to come to the hospital. It was open for business.
The First Successful Heart Surgery
In July of 1893 it was very hot. On the night of July 9, two men got into a fight. One man was stabbed in the chest. His name was James Cornish. His friends took him to Provident Hospital. Daniel examined Mr. Cornish. The wound was near the heart. Daniel could not see exactly where it was, because there were no x-rays. No doctor ever operated on the human heart. It was too dangerous. The patient always died.
Daniel knew that if he didn't operate, the patient would die. He also knew that if he operated and failed he would be ruined as a doctor. He decided to take the chance. He invited six doctors to watch him work. Daniel cut open James Cornish's chest. He found a tear in the lining of the heart. Daniel sewed up the hole. Then he sewed the chest shut.
James Cornish did not die. There was no infection. After 51 days James Cornish could walk out of the hospital. Daniel had made history. People all over the world heard about his work.
The Freedman's Hospital
In Washington D.C. there was a hospital called the Freedman's Hospital. It was started after the Civil War to serve African Americans. It was poorly run. Daniel was invited to be the director of the hospital. Daniel wanted to stay at Provident, but he agreed to go to Washington. He arrived there in September 1894.
The hospital buildings were in poor repair. There were no nurses. Many people who went to the Freedman's Hospital died there. Daniel reorganized the hospital. He set up departments. He had the hospital cleaned, inside and out. He hired people to work with the patients. He hired an ambulance, pulled by a horse. After one year everyone could see a big change. Conditions and care were improved. Very few patients died.
Daniel started a school for African American nurses. It was the first one in the country. It was called the Freedman's Nursing School. It started with 37 students. The students worked very hard. Daniel called each of them "daughter."
Daniel was the chief surgeon. He did excellent work. One woman came to the hospital to have her baby. Daniel delivered the baby by Caesarian section. This was a new procedure in the United States. People could tell that Daniel was an outstanding doctor.
Daniel bought a house in Washington D.C. His mother and two sisters came to live with him. In Washington he met a young lady named Alice Darling Johnson. They fell in love.
There were medical groups in Washington, but African Americans were not welcome to join them. Daniel started a new group. It was called the Medico-Chirurgical Society of the District of Columbia. Doctors of all races could join. He also helped start the National Negro Medical Association.
A Return to Chicago
In 1897 Daniel decided to go back to Chicago. He had done his job at the Freedman's Hospital. He was anxious to get back to Provident Hospital. In April 1898 Daniel and Alice were married. They traveled to Chicago. There was a huge party to welcome them. Daniel started back at Provident Hospital the next day.
Some people in Washington got into an argument. They could not decide who should run Freedman's Hospital. During the arguments, someone said bad things about Daniel. They said he had wasted money. Daniel was hurt. He went back to Washington. He explained why money was spent. It was used to buy replacements for medical equipment that was old or broken. He had not wasted the hospital's money. In fact, he had paid for many instruments himself. Daniel went back to Chicago with a sad heart. He was unhappy that people he trusted would speak against him.
Daniel still had work to do. He was anxious to train more African American doctors. He visited Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee. This was a good school. But, as in Chicago, African American doctors were not allowed into the city's hospitals. Daniel suggested that Meharry should start their own hospital. He helped raise money. He made wise suggestions. Soon Meharry had its own 12-bed hospital.
Other cities wanted to do the same thing. Daniel helped start hospitals in eight other cities, including Dallas and Atlanta. Daniel gave talks on medicine. He demonstrated new surgical methods. He helped with difficult surgeries. He took no pay for his work. In 1908 Daniel reached his 25th year as a doctor.
Later Life
Back in Chicago Daniel was offered a new job. He was invited to work at St. Luke's Hospital. This was a large, rich hospital. He was the first African American to be invited to work there. He knew that it was important that he take this job. He accepted the appointment.
One man at Provident made trouble for Daniel. He said that Daniel was selling out his race by working at the white hospital. He demanded that Daniel resign from Provident. Daniel had not done anything wrong, but he didn't like conflict. He agreed to leave Provident.
Daniel and some others decided to build country homes. They bought some land near a beautiful lake. They named it Idlewild. They built a clubhouse and a hotel, along with their houses. Daniel and Alice built a house called Oakmere. Daniel was happy there. He could go fishing and plant a garden.
Both Daniel and Alice had health problems. Daniel had diabetes. Alice had Parkinson's disease. She had to use a wheelchair. Alice died in 1924. Some time after this Daniel had a stroke. His brother Price's daughter came to take care of him. Daniel died on Tuesday, August 4, 1931.
Where We See His Name Today
There is a plaque dedicated to Dr. Williams at Provident Hospital in Chicago.
There are two schools named for Daniel Hale Williams in New York City. One is an elementary school: the other is a middle school.
There is a Daniel Hale Williams School in Chicago.
Reading Level 4.8. Photograph of Dr. Williams reproduced courtesy of the Chicago Historical Society.
Daniel Hale Williams was born on January 18, 1858. He was born in Hollidaysburg, Pa. He was the third family member to have that name. He was really Daniel Hale Williams III. Daniel’s father was a barber and a businessman. Daniel’s mother was Sara Price Williams. Sara’s mother was a cousin to Frederick Douglass. Daniel was one of seven children. There were two boys and five girls. In Daniel’s family everyone liked to sing. They enjoyed telling stories. Daniel’s father was a leader. He wanted better conditions for African American people. He started a group called the Equal Rights League. He worked very hard for this group. One day Mr. Williams got a bad cough. He became sick. He could not work any more. He rented his home and his barbershop. He took his family to Annapolis, Maryland. They went to live with Sara’s mother, Mrs. Price.
Daniel’s father believed that a good education led to a good life. He sent his children to school. He told them to study hard. Daniel and his brother and sister went to the Stanton School. Daniel’s favorite subject was history.
Mr. Williams kept working for the Equal Rights League. He traveled and gave speeches. He urged people to send their children to school. One day Mr. Williams came home from a trip. He was very sick. He had tuberculosis. Mr. Williams died in May 1867.
The Family Breaks Up
Daniel's mother was a helpless person. She did not know how to handle money. She was poor at making decisions. She could not keep her family together. She needed a place for all of them to go.
There were seven children. Daniel's older brother Price was sent to cousins in New York. He studied to be a lawyer. Two sisters, Ida and Alice, went to boarding school. Baby Florence found a home with Grandmother Price. Daniel's mother and two other sisters decided to move to Illinois. They had cousins there. They could learn hairdressing. Daniel was sent to a family friend. His name was Mr. Mason. He had a school where boys learned to be shoemakers. Now the family was all split up.
Finding His Own Way
Daniel hated shoe making. He decided to run away. He begged a ticket to Illinois from a family friend. He went to find his mother and sisters. He found them in Rockford Illinois. Daniel decided to stay, too. He went to school for two months a year. He learned to be a barber. He was content.
Daniel's mother decided to move again. She and her daughter Ann went back to the East Coast. Sally and Daniel were left behind. They lived with cousins. Daniel took several jobs.
When Daniel was 16, Sally decided to move. She went to Edgerton, Wisconsin. Daniel went, too. He opened a barbershop. But Daniel was not happy. There was no place to go to school. Daniel looked for a town where he could work and study. He found it. The town was called Janesville. It was also in Wisconsin. In Janesville there was a high school. There was also a man named Harry Anderson.
Harry Anderson owned a big barbershop. He was a kind man. He had a large, loving family. He hired Daniel and Sally. He welcomed them into his home. They became lifelong friends.
Working and Learning
Daniel went to school. He cut hair. Harry Anderson had a band. He taught Daniel to play the double bass. Then Daniel played in the band too. Daniel was busy and happy.
Daniel borrowed books from a customer. The customer urged him to go to college. Daniel started at a school that would prepare him for college. It was called the Janesville Classical Academy. He studied hard. He learned German and Latin. Daniel graduated from the Academy in 1877.
Daniel thought about college. First he thought he would like to study law. He read about it. He did not like settling arguments. He decided he would not like the law. Then Daniel thought about being a doctor. He asked to work with Dr. Henry Palmer. He would be Dr. Palmer's apprentice. Daniel started by sweeping the floor. Before long he was mixing medicine. He loved the work.
Daniel applied to medical school. He wrote to his mother. He asked her for money. She refused. Harry Anderson helped Daniel instead. He loaned him the money to go to school. In fall of 1880 Daniel moved to Chicago to start his studies. He rented a room from a friend of his father. Her name was Mrs. Jones.
Daniel went to class and studied. He worked very hard. He had no time and no extra money to have fun. During his vacations, Daniel went home to the Andersons. He worked at the barbershop. For two years Harry Anderson paid for Daniel's schooling. The third year, Daniel heard from his brother Price. Price was now a lawyer in Philadelphia. He gave Daniel the money for the third year.
In 1883, at the age of 27, Daniel graduated from medical school.
Medical Practice
Daniel opened an office in Chicago. Mrs. Jones sent her friends to him. He had patients from the neighborhood. He treated many different people. Daniel was kind. He listened to his patients. They liked and trusted him. They called him "Doctor Dan." Daniel worked long hours. He saw patients at all times of day.
Daniel was not attached to any hospital. He operated on his patients at their homes. Other doctors did this. Home operations were not very successful. Many patients died of infection. Daniel had learned about bacteria in school. He knew that bacteria could cause infection. Before he operated, he carefully scrubbed the room. His patients did not get infections. They recovered well.
Daniel saved his money. He started to pay back his debt to Harry Anderson.
Special Jobs
Soon Daniel was given more to do. He was asked to work at the South Side Dispensary. His job was to demonstrate surgery for medical students. One of his students was named Charles Mayo. Much later he started the famous Mayo Clinic.
Daniel was offered a volunteer job. This was at the Protestant Orphan Asylum. Daniel cared for many children there.
A third appointment was very special. The governor of Illinois appointed Daniel to the State Board of Health. Daniel was the first African American to have this honor. He took his position seriously. While on the board he recommended vaccinations for typhoid, scarlet fever, and smallpox. He knew that sanitation in some places was very poor. He worked for clean living conditions. He wanted better plumbing and better ways to dispose of waste.
Daniel and the Andersons
Harry Anderson and his family remained Daniel's friends. They moved to Chicago. Daniel helped them, the way they had once helped him.
Provident Hospital
Many African Americans were moving to Chicago. There was no good health care for them. African American doctors were not allowed to operate in area hospitals. There were no training programs for African American doctors and nurses. Daniel and Rev. Louis Reynolds decided to do something about this. They decided to start a new hospital. People of all races would be welcome there. They would call it Provident Hospital.
The two men started collecting money. Some people gave a great deal of money. Some could only give a little. Everyone who gave any amount became a member of the Provident Hospital Association. There were dances and chicken suppers. All money that was raised was saved for the hospital.
The committee found an old building. It was big enough to have 12 beds. They bought it. Volunteers cleaned the building. They painted it. Some people brought bedding and food. Others volunteered their time. After much work, the hospital was ready. Daniel invited the best African American doctors to work there. Seven women started training as nurses. Patients began to come to the hospital. It was open for business.
The First Successful Heart Surgery
In July of 1893 it was very hot. On the night of July 9, two men got into a fight. One man was stabbed in the chest. His name was James Cornish. His friends took him to Provident Hospital. Daniel examined Mr. Cornish. The wound was near the heart. Daniel could not see exactly where it was, because there were no x-rays. No doctor ever operated on the human heart. It was too dangerous. The patient always died.
Daniel knew that if he didn't operate, the patient would die. He also knew that if he operated and failed he would be ruined as a doctor. He decided to take the chance. He invited six doctors to watch him work. Daniel cut open James Cornish's chest. He found a tear in the lining of the heart. Daniel sewed up the hole. Then he sewed the chest shut.
James Cornish did not die. There was no infection. After 51 days James Cornish could walk out of the hospital. Daniel had made history. People all over the world heard about his work.
The Freedman's Hospital
In Washington D.C. there was a hospital called the Freedman's Hospital. It was started after the Civil War to serve African Americans. It was poorly run. Daniel was invited to be the director of the hospital. Daniel wanted to stay at Provident, but he agreed to go to Washington. He arrived there in September 1894.
The hospital buildings were in poor repair. There were no nurses. Many people who went to the Freedman's Hospital died there. Daniel reorganized the hospital. He set up departments. He had the hospital cleaned, inside and out. He hired people to work with the patients. He hired an ambulance, pulled by a horse. After one year everyone could see a big change. Conditions and care were improved. Very few patients died.
Daniel started a school for African American nurses. It was the first one in the country. It was called the Freedman's Nursing School. It started with 37 students. The students worked very hard. Daniel called each of them "daughter."
Daniel was the chief surgeon. He did excellent work. One woman came to the hospital to have her baby. Daniel delivered the baby by Caesarian section. This was a new procedure in the United States. People could tell that Daniel was an outstanding doctor.
Daniel bought a house in Washington D.C. His mother and two sisters came to live with him. In Washington he met a young lady named Alice Darling Johnson. They fell in love.
There were medical groups in Washington, but African Americans were not welcome to join them. Daniel started a new group. It was called the Medico-Chirurgical Society of the District of Columbia. Doctors of all races could join. He also helped start the National Negro Medical Association.
A Return to Chicago
In 1897 Daniel decided to go back to Chicago. He had done his job at the Freedman's Hospital. He was anxious to get back to Provident Hospital. In April 1898 Daniel and Alice were married. They traveled to Chicago. There was a huge party to welcome them. Daniel started back at Provident Hospital the next day.
Some people in Washington got into an argument. They could not decide who should run Freedman's Hospital. During the arguments, someone said bad things about Daniel. They said he had wasted money. Daniel was hurt. He went back to Washington. He explained why money was spent. It was used to buy replacements for medical equipment that was old or broken. He had not wasted the hospital's money. In fact, he had paid for many instruments himself. Daniel went back to Chicago with a sad heart. He was unhappy that people he trusted would speak against him.
Daniel still had work to do. He was anxious to train more African American doctors. He visited Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee. This was a good school. But, as in Chicago, African American doctors were not allowed into the city's hospitals. Daniel suggested that Meharry should start their own hospital. He helped raise money. He made wise suggestions. Soon Meharry had its own 12-bed hospital.
Other cities wanted to do the same thing. Daniel helped start hospitals in eight other cities, including Dallas and Atlanta. Daniel gave talks on medicine. He demonstrated new surgical methods. He helped with difficult surgeries. He took no pay for his work. In 1908 Daniel reached his 25th year as a doctor.
Later Life
Back in Chicago Daniel was offered a new job. He was invited to work at St. Luke's Hospital. This was a large, rich hospital. He was the first African American to be invited to work there. He knew that it was important that he take this job. He accepted the appointment.
One man at Provident made trouble for Daniel. He said that Daniel was selling out his race by working at the white hospital. He demanded that Daniel resign from Provident. Daniel had not done anything wrong, but he didn't like conflict. He agreed to leave Provident.
Daniel and some others decided to build country homes. They bought some land near a beautiful lake. They named it Idlewild. They built a clubhouse and a hotel, along with their houses. Daniel and Alice built a house called Oakmere. Daniel was happy there. He could go fishing and plant a garden.
Both Daniel and Alice had health problems. Daniel had diabetes. Alice had Parkinson's disease. She had to use a wheelchair. Alice died in 1924. Some time after this Daniel had a stroke. His brother Price's daughter came to take care of him. Daniel died on Tuesday, August 4, 1931.
Where We See His Name Today
There is a plaque dedicated to Dr. Williams at Provident Hospital in Chicago.
There are two schools named for Daniel Hale Williams in New York City. One is an elementary school: the other is a middle school.
There is a Daniel Hale Williams School in Chicago.
Reading Level 4.8. Photograph of Dr. Williams reproduced courtesy of the Chicago Historical Society.
