Samuel_A._Elbert

Samuel A. Elbert

Samuel A. Elbert

American politician

Samuel A. Elbert (April 9, 1832 – July 15, 1902) was a medical doctor and politician in Indiana. He was the Republican nominee for a state house seat in 1882.[1][2][3] He was the first African American to receive an M.D. degree in Indiana.[4]

He was born in Maryland to parents who were not enslaved. He worked as a servant and studied at Oberlin College.[1] He moved to Indianapolis in 1866 and taught at a private school for African Americans supported by the Allen Chapel. He studied medicine with two doctors and enrolled at Indiana Medical College in 1869.[1] After a dispute he was degreed by the college in 1871, appointed to the state board of health, and established a private medical practice.[1]

He won the Republican nomination for a state house seat over incumbent James Sidney Hinton. He and other Republicans lost in the state’s general election.[5]

He married and had six children. He was a prominent A.M.E. Church member. He died at his home at 512 North Senate Avenue.[6] In 2013 a grave marker was added at Crown Hill Cemetery for Elbert.[7]

References

  1. [1]
    Bodenhamer, David J.; Barrows, Robert G. (November 22, 1994). The Encyclopedia of Indianapolis. Indiana University Press. ISBN 0253112494 – via Google Books.
  2. [2]
    Bodenhamer, David J.; Barrows, Robert G. (November 22, 1994). The Encyclopedia of Indianapolis. Indiana University Press. ISBN 0253112494 – via Google Books.
  3. [3]
    Thornbrough, Emma Lou (July 21, 1964). "Since Emancipation: A Short History of Indiana Negroes, 1863-1963". Indiana Division, American Negro Emancipation Centennial Authority – via Google Books.
  4. [4]
    Society, Indiana Historical (July 21, 1996). Peopling Indiana: The Ethnic Experience. Indiana Historical Society. ISBN 9780871951120 – via Google Books.
  5. [5]
    January, Alan Frank; Walsh, Justin E. (1986). "A Century of Achievement: Black Hoosiers in the Indiana General Assembly, 1881-1986".
  6. [6]
    "Indianapolis Recorder 12 July 1902 — Hoosier State Chronicles: Indiana's Digital Historic Newspaper Program".
  7. [7]
    "Indiana's 1st black physician is honored with headstone". 28 January 2013.
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