Gertrude Elizabeth Curtis (March 1, 1880 – August 3, 1973), also known as Gertrude Curtis McPherson, was an American dentist. She had a longtime practice in Harlem.

Early life and education

Curtis was from Bradford, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Stephen Curtis and Agnes Elizabeth Curtis. Her father was a barber. She graduated from the New York College of Dental and Oral Surgery in 1909, becoming the first black woman to gain a dentistry license in New York State.

Career

Soon after completing her dental education, Curtis ran a weekly dental clinic at Bellevue Hospital. She had a dental practice in Harlem for many years. Curtis was active in politics and civic organizations. She served as a delegate to the 1918 Republican State Convention in Saratoga, and represented the Roosevelt Colored Women's Republican Club at the

1920 Republican National Convention The 1920 Republican National Convention nominated Ohio Senator Warren G. Harding for president and Massachusetts Governor Calvin Coolidge for vice president. The convention was held in Chicago, Illinois, at the Chicago Coliseum from June 8 to J ...

in Chicago. She was president of the Business and Professional Women's Club in Harlem in 1932. She was a member of the

NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E.&nb ...

, spoke at the YWCA and Mother Zion Church on health topics, and helped to raise money for the Sojourner Truth Home for Wayward Girls.Traweek, Alison
"Biography of Dr. Gertrude Elizabeth Curtis, 1880-1973"
''Biographical Database of Black Woman Suffragists'' Alexander Street 2016. She was active with the

Harlem Experimental Theatre A number of theatre companies are associated with the Harlem Renaissance. Lafayette Players (1916–1932) Anita Bush, a pioneer in African American theater, began an acting company after seeing a show at the Lincoln Theater in Harlem. She wante ...

. Curtis was also involved in her musician husband's work. She helped with publicity for a special midnight performance of ''

Shuffle Along ''Shuffle Along'' is a musical composed by Eubie Blake, with lyrics by Noble Sissle, and a book written by the comedy duo Flournoy Miller and Aubrey Lyles. One of the most notable all-Black hit Broadway shows, it was a landmark in African-America ...

'' in 1921, a benefit for the NAACP. She accompanied a show on its European tour in 1923, and directed a choir during another show's tour in Europe in 1929 and 1930.

Personal life

Curtis married "Charleston" composer

Cecil Mack Cecil Mack (November 6, 1873 – August 1, 1944) was an American composer, lyricist and music publisher. Biography Born as Richard Cecil McPherson in Portsmouth, Virginia, he attended the Norfolk Mission College and Lincoln University in Pennsyl ...

(Richard Cecil McPherson) in 1912; she was widowed when Mack died in 1944. In 1946, she became the fourth wife of dancer

Ulysses "Slow Kid" Thompson Ulysses "Slow Kid" Thompson (August 28, 1888 – March 17, 1990) was a comedian, singer, tap and acrobatic dancer whose nickname was inspired by his ability to perform a comical, and incredibly slow, dance routine. His career included work in ci ...

, who was the widower of Florence Mills. She died in 1973, aged 93 years.

References

External links

"Tribute to Gertrude E. Curtis, one of the first African-American female dentists"
''The Daily Floss'' (February 12, 2019). Blog post about Curtis. {{DEFAULTSORT:Curtis, Gertrude 1880 births 1973 deaths American dentists African-American dentists Women dentists People from Bradford, Pennsylvania 20th-century dentists 20th-century African-American people