Eliza Anna GrierGrier's name varies, depending on source. See letter from Grier to Susan B. Anthony dated 3-7-1901 showing Grier's use of Eliza Anna Grier. (1864–1902) was an American

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

and the first

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

woman licensed to practice medicine in the U.S. state of

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

Early life and education

Grier was born in

Mecklenburg County, North Carolina Mecklenburg County is a county located in the southwestern region of the state of North Carolina, in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,115,482, making it the second-most populous county in North Carolina (after Wak ...

in 1864 to Emily and George Washington Grier. Although she was born after the

Emancipation Proclamation The Emancipation Proclamation, officially Proclamation 95, was a presidential proclamation and executive order issued by United States President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, during the Civil War. The Proclamation changed the legal sta ...

, she was born enslaved as she resided in the part of North Carolina not occupied by the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

. She was emancipated at the end of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, as an infant. Grier moved to

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

to study teaching at

Fisk University Fisk University is a private historically black liberal arts college in Nashville, Tennessee. It was founded in 1866 and its campus is a historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1930, Fisk was the first Africa ...

. In order to be able to afford her tuition fees, she alternated every year of studying with working; after enrolling in 1884, she graduated in 1891. Grier wrote to the

Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania The Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania (WMCP) was founded in 1850, and was the second medical institution in the world established to train women in medicine to earn the M.D. degree. The New England Female Medical College had been established ...

in 1890 to explain that she had very little money and inquired whether assistance "might be provided for an emancipated slave to receive any help into so lofty a profession." She was accepted into the college in 1893 and once again worked in between periods of studying to support herself. Eliza worked for a year picking

cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus ''Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor perce ...

to pay for the next year's tuition. Grier graduated after seven years.

Career

After graduating from the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania in 1897, Grier moved to

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

and applied for a license to practice medicine in

Fulton County Fulton County is the name of eight counties in the United States of America. Most are named for Robert Fulton, inventor of the first practical steamboat: *Fulton County, Arkansas, named after Governor William Savin Fulton *Fulton County, Georgia *F ...

, making her the first African American woman to hold a medical license in the state of Georgia. Grier set up a private practice in Atlanta, specializing in

obstetrics Obstetrics is the field of study concentrated on pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. As a medical specialty, obstetrics is combined with gynecology under the discipline known as obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN), which is a surgi ...

and

gynecology Gynaecology or gynecology (see spelling differences) is the area of medicine that involves the treatment of women's diseases, especially those of the reproductive organs. It is often paired with the field of obstetrics, forming the combined are ...

. Grier said, "When I saw colored women doing all the work in cases of accouchement, and all the fee going to some white doctor who merely looked on, I asked myself why should I not get the fee myself. ..Some of the best white doctors in the city have welcomed me, and say that they will give me an even chance in the profession. That is all I ask." After graduating from medical school, Grier "struggled to build a private practice," supplementing her income with teaching jobs. She fell ill in 1901, just three years after opening her practice, and was unable to work. She wrote to

suffragist Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise, is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in English, the right to v ...

Susan B. Anthony Susan B. Anthony (born Susan Anthony; February 15, 1820 – March 13, 1906) was an American social reformer and women's rights activist who played a pivotal role in the women's suffrage movement. Born into a Quaker family committed to so ...

to request help with her financial troubles. Anthony did not help Grier financially, but did contact Woman's Medical College on her behalf, writing: Grier moved to

Albany, Georgia Albany ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Georgia. Located on the Flint River, it is the seat of Dougherty County, and is the sole incorporated city in that county. Located in southwest Georgia, it is the principal city of the Albany, Georgia ...

, where her brother Richard Edgar Grier, also a physician, worked. She died in 1902, five years after beginning to practice medicine, and was buried in

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grier, Eliza Ann 1864 births 1902 deaths 19th-century American slaves 19th-century African-American women 19th-century American physicians 19th-century African-American physicians 19th-century American women physicians 20th-century African-American people 20th-century African-American women Physicians from Georgia (U.S. state) American gynecologists American obstetricians Physicians from North Carolina People from Mecklenburg County, North Carolina People from Atlanta Fisk University alumni Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania alumni Burials in North Carolina Women gynaecologists African-American women physicians