Nation’s 1st black doctor, nearly overlooked by history, to be honored in NYC ceremony

Pioneer black physician to be honored in NYC

NEW YORK — He couldn’t go to medical school at home, so James McCune Smith got his degree in Scotland in 1837. He came back to New York City and opened a medical practice and pharmacy to serve poor patients. He is believed to be the first black physician in the United States.

Descendants who only recently learned they had a black ancestor will honor Smith on Sunday at his Brooklyn grave site. The unmarked grave will finally get a tombstone.

Danny Glover portrayed Smith in a video produced by the New York Historical Society. A public school in Harlem is named after him.

Smith was celebrated during his life as a doctor, writer, teacher and anti-slavery leader but fell into obscurity after his death in 1865.