Dr. Alexander Humphreys (1757 – May 23, 1802) was a pioneer Irish-American physician in

Staunton, Virginia Staunton ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 25,750. In Virginia, independent cities a ...

Early life

He was born in

County Armagh County Armagh (, named after its county town, Armagh) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the southern shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of and ha ...

, Ireland, in 1757, the son of John Humphreys and Margaret Carlisle. He initially studied medicine under his uncle, Carlisle. After that, he attended the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

where he received his M.D. degree in 1782. At the time, the University of Edinburgh had the most famous medical school in the world.

Life in America

In 1783, he emigrated to

Augusta County, Virginia Augusta County is a county in the Shenandoah Valley on the western edge of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The second-largest county of Virginia by total area, it completely surrounds the independent cities of Staunton and Waynesboro. Its county ...

, and settled at Greenville near his brother, David Carlisle Humphreys. In 1787, he moved to Staunton and established a practice there. He became a Justice of Augusta County and a Trustee of the newly created Staunton Academy in 1792. In 1793, he became the President of the Board of Trustees of Staunton Academy. Humphreys had a large and busy medical practice and attracted many medical students who studied under him as a preceptor. His known students include William Wardlaw, James McPheeters, Andrew Kean,

William Henry Harrison William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773April 4, 1841) was an American military officer and politician who served as the ninth president of the United States. Harrison died just 31 days after his inauguration in 1841, and had the shortest pres ...

, Samuel Brown, and

Ephraim McDowell Ephraim McDowell (November 11, 1771 – June 25, 1830) was an American physician and pioneer surgeon. The first person to successfully remove an ovarian tumor, he has been called "the father of ovariotomy" as well as founding father of abdomina ...

. William Henry Harrison later became President of the United States. Ephraim McDowell was the most famous student of Humphreys who became a practicing physician.Dorman, John Frederick, ''The Prestons of Smithfield and Greenfield in Virginia'', Louisville, KY (1982).

Personal life

On April 8, 1788, Humphreys married Mary Brown, a daughter of Rev. John Brown of New Providence Church. Mary's brother was

John Brown John Brown most often refers to: *John Brown (abolitionist) (1800–1859), American who led an anti-slavery raid in Harpers Ferry, Virginia in 1859 John Brown or Johnny Brown may also refer to: Academia * John Brown (educator) (1763–1842), Ir ...

, a U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator from Kentucky who served as

President pro tempore of the U.S. Senate The president pro tempore of the United States Senate (often shortened to president pro tem) is the second-highest-ranking official of the United States Senate, after the vice president. According to Article One, Section Three of the United ...

(and the father of

Mason Brown Mason Brown (November 10, 1799 – January 27, 1867) was an American politician who served as secretary of state of Kentucky and Kentucky state treasurer. Mason Brown was born November 10, 1799, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to John Brown a ...

, the

Secretary of State of Kentucky The secretary of state of Kentucky is one of the constitutional officers of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It is now an elected office, but was an appointed office prior to 1891. The current secretary of state is Republican Michael Adams, who was e ...

, and Orlando Brown, the publisher and historian). They had seven children including: * Elizabeth L. Humphreys (1800–1874), who married

Robert Smith Todd Robert Smith Todd (February 25, 1791 – July 17, 1849) was an American lawyer, soldier, banker, businessman and politician who was the father of First Lady of the United States, First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln. Early life Todd was born on ...

(1791–1849) and became the stepmother of

Mary Todd Lincoln Mary Ann Todd Lincoln (December 13, 1818July 16, 1882) served as First Lady of the United States from 1861 until the assassination of her husband, President Abraham Lincoln in 1865. Mary Lincoln was a member of a large and wealthy, slave-owning ...

. Humphreys died May 23, 1802, at Staunton, Virginia, and was buried in the churchyard of Trinity Episcopal Church at Staunton. His widow, Mary, then moved to

Frankfort, Kentucky Frankfort is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, United States, and the seat of Franklin County. It is a home rule-class city; the population was 28,602 at the 2020 census. Located along the Kentucky River, Frankfort is the prin ...

, to be near her brother

. She died January 28, 1836, at Frankfort, Kentucky, and is buried at

Frankfort Cemetery The Frankfort Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery located on East Main Street in Frankfort, Kentucky. The cemetery is the burial site of Daniel Boone and contains the graves of other famous Americans including seventeen Kentucky governors and a ...

.Bell, Richard P. Address delivered before the Augusta County Medical Association on the occasion of the dedication of a bronze tablet at the grave of Humphreys in Trinity Churchyard, Staunton, Virginia, April 15, 1951, ''Virginia Medical Monthly'', Vol. 81, pages 13–16 (January 1954).

References

External links

*
Virginia Historical Marker for Alexander Humphreys
{{DEFAULTSORT:Humphreys, Alexander Physicians from Virginia 1757 births 1802 deaths Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Medical doctors from County Armagh People from Staunton, Virginia 18th-century American physicians 19th-century American physicians