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Fred Severs Clinton was one of the first doctors in Oklahoma, having begun to practice while the area was still part of
Indian Territory The Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the Federal government of the United States, United States Government for the relocation of Native Americans in the United St ...
. He built the first hospital in Tulsa and was very active in promoting public health infrastructure projects. As a financial partner with Dr. J. C. W, Bland, another early physician in the Tulsa area, he helped finance the drilling of the Sue A. Bland #1, the first oil well in Red Fork, which helped propel Tulsa into the ranks of a major American city in the early 20th century.


Early life

He was born near the present city of
Okmulgee, Oklahoma Okmulgee is a city in, and the county seat of, Okmulgee County, Oklahoma. The name is from the Mvskoke word ''okimulgee,'' which means "boiling waters".Bamburg, Maxine"Okmulgee,"''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture''. Accessed June 16 ...
on April 15, 1874 to an early white immigrant, Charles Clinton, and his wife, Louise (née Atkins). Mrs. Atkins was of Creek descent."History of the state of Oklahoma." p. 416 - 417. Available on line through Open Library

/ref> Louise (born in Texas on October 16, 1867) died in Tulsa June 20, 1928. The following year, the family moved to a ranch on Duck Creek. In 1884, they moved to the community of Red Fork. His father Charles died in 1888, when he was fourteen.Whitham, Louise Morton. "Fred Severs Clinton, M. D., F. A. C. S." Retrieved November 25, 201

/ref> Young Fred was educated in the national schools of the
Creek Nation The Muscogee Nation, or Muscogee (Creek) Nation, is a federally recognized Native American tribe based in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The nation descends from the historic Muscogee Confederacy, a large group of indigenous peoples of the South ...
then went off to study at St. Francis Institute in Osage, Kansas, Drury College (now
Drury University Drury University, formerly Drury College and originally Springfield College, is a private university in Springfield, Missouri. The university's mission statement describes itself as "church-related". It enrolls about 1,700 undergraduate and gra ...
) (
Springfield, Missouri Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. The city's population was 169,176 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Springfield metropolitan area, which had an estimat ...
), Gem City Business College (
Quincy, Illinois Quincy ( ), known as Illinois's "Gem City", is a city in and the county seat of Adams County, Illinois, United States, located on the Mississippi River. The 2020 census counted a population of 39,463 in the city itself, down from 40,633 in 2010. ...
), and
Young Harris College Young Harris College is a private Methodist-affiliated liberal arts college in Young Harris, Georgia, United States. History Origins The school was founded in 1886 by Artemas Lester, a circuit-riding Methodist minister who wanted to ...
in
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 ...
. Finally, he studied pharmacy at the Kansas City College of Pharmacy (now
University of Missouri–Kansas City The University of Missouri–Kansas City (UMKC) is a public research university in Kansas City, Missouri. UMKC is part of the University of Missouri System and one of only two member universities with a medical school. As of 2020, the university ...
), where he graduated in 1891 and medicine at University Medical College (now
New York University School of Medicine NYU Grossman School of Medicine is a medical school of New York University, a private research university in New York City. It was founded in 1841 and is one of two medical schools of the university, with the other being the Long Island School of ...
), where he graduated in 1897. (Ed. note: St. Francis Mission in Osage, Kansas apparently no longer exists.)


Marriage

In 1897, Fred married Jane Carroll Heard (1875 - 1945), a native of
Elberton, Georgia Elberton is the largest city in Elbert County, Georgia, United States. The population was 4,653 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Elbert County. History Settled in the 1780s, Elbert was designated seat of the newly formed Elber ...
, who was reported to be an accomplished musician. The two had met when Jane attended commencement ceremonies at Young Harris College. She was from a wealthy and socially prominent Georgia family. When the couple first came to Indian Territory, they could not find any suitable house available in Tulsa, so they moved into the home of her mother-in-law in Red Fork. They were able to find a simple house out in the country (the present-day intersection of Ninth Street and Main Street). They lived there for six years.Debo, Angie. ''Chronicles of Oklahoma''. "Jane Heard Clinton." pp. 20 - 25. Retrieved November 26, 201

/ref>


Public health work

At first, Clinton had no formal office. At the end of the 19th century, Tulsa was still a raw frontier town. Many of his patients were cowboys or railroad workers who had been injured in work-related accidents, bar fights or gun fights. He practiced wherever there was available space.Tulsa County Medical Society. "A History of Tulsa Hospitals" Retrieved December 1, 2012.[] Clinton worked diligently on many of the public health issues that confronted early-day Tulsa. He campaigned for improved water and sewer systems, public health facilities and fireproof buildings. He was also credited with building the first fireproof office building in Tulsa.Oklahoma Hall of Fame, Fred Severs Clinton
/ref> The Clinton Building, located on the northwest corner of Fourth Street and Boston Avenue, was demolished in 1928 to make way for the expansion of the Exchange National Bank Building (now known as the 320 South Boston Building).


Later years and death

Clinton organized and was president of the Oklahoma State Hospital Association from 1919 to 1926. In the early 1930s, Clinton's health began to falter, apparently brought on by anemia. He lost the sight in his right eye, forcing him to give up performing as a surgeon. He began to write about the local history as it pertained to public health and medicine. In 1932, Clinton was inducted into the
Oklahoma Hall of Fame The Oklahoma Hall of Fame was founded in 1927 by Anna B. Korn to officially celebrate Statehood Day, recognize Oklahomans dedicated to their communities, and provide educational programming for all ages. The first Oklahoma Hall of Fame Induction Cer ...
. Jane Heard Clinton died in Tulsa in 1945. In the following year, Clinton married again, this time to Beulah Jane Elliott. She had been a Tulsa school teacher for many years. Clinton went to St. Johns Hospital on November 16, 1954. He died there April 25, 1955. Memorial services were conducted at the
Boston Avenue Methodist Church The Boston Avenue United Methodist Church, located in downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma, and completed in 1929, is considered to be one of the finest examples of ecclesiastical Art Deco architecture in the United States, and has been placed on the Nation ...
.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clinton, Fred S. 1874 births 1955 deaths People from Tulsa, Oklahoma Drury University alumni Young Harris College alumni University of Missouri–Kansas City alumni New York University Grossman School of Medicine alumni American surgeons People of Indian Territory