John Covert Boyd (December 24, 1850 – July 7, 1927) was a surgeon and medical director in the
United States Navy Medical Corps
The Medical Corps of the United States Navy is a staff corps consisting of military physicians in a variety of specialties. It is the senior corps among all staff corps, second in precedence only to line officers. The corps of commissioned offic ...
. He is one of the incorporators of the
American Red Cross
The American Red Cross (ARC), also known as the American National Red Cross, is a non-profit humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. It is the desi ...
and one of the founders of the
Kappa Sigma Fraternity
Kappa Sigma (), commonly known as Kappa Sig, is an American collegiate social fraternity founded at the University of Virginia in 1869. Kappa Sigma is one of the five largest international Fraternities and sororities in North America, fraterniti ...
.
Biography
John Covert Boyd was born on 24 December 1850 near
Bradford Springs, South Carolina
Bradford is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a p ...
and spent his youth at the private schools of
Charleston. From 1869 to 1871, he attended the
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...
. While there, he founded the
Kappa Sigma
Kappa Sigma (), commonly known as Kappa Sig, is an American collegiate social fraternity founded at the University of Virginia in 1869. Kappa Sigma is one of the five largest international fraternities with currently 318 active chapters and colo ...
fraternity with four other friends on December 10, 1869:
William Grigsby McCormick
William Grigsby McCormick (June 3, 1851 – November 29, 1941) was an American businessman of the influential McCormick family in Chicago, who was a co-founder of Kappa Sigma Fraternity. He also served as a Chicago alderman.
Early life and educa ...
,
Edmund Law Rogers Jr.,
Frank Courtney Nicodemus
Frank or Franks may refer to:
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Curr ...
, and
George Miles Arnold
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. After Boyd's second year, in which he entered the medical program, he transferred to the
University of the City of New York
New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
In 1832, the ...
. After graduating as a
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin language, Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a profes ...
, Boyd was appointed as an assistant surgeon in the Navy medical corp, eventually rising to the rank of Medical Director.
[ In 1902, he became a professor in the Navy Medical College, Washington, where he was second in seniority. Under supervision of the Surgeon-General of the Navy, Boyd compiled a book of instructions for medical officers.][ In 1905, President Roosevelt appointed Boyd to be one of the members of the Board of Incorporators of the ]American Red Cross
The American Red Cross (ARC), also known as the American National Red Cross, is a non-profit humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. It is the desi ...
. He died on 7 July 1927 and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...
.
Personal life
Boyd's father was William Simms Boyd, who was a graduate of South Carolina Medical College and his mother was Laura Nelson (Covert) Boyd. In 1887, he married Katherine Dorr Willard and had two children, Alice and Walter. They resided in Washington, D. C.[
]
Legacy
* Fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine
The New York Academy of Medicine (the Academy) is a health policy and advocacy organization founded in 1847 by a group of leading New York metropolitan area physicians as a voice for the medical profession in medical practice and public health ...
* Member of the Association of Military Surgeons of the United States
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*Club (organization), an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal
*Trade association, an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry
*Voluntary associatio ...
* Member of the American Medical Association
The American Medical Association (AMA) is a professional association and lobbying group of physicians and medical students. Founded in 1847, it is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Membership was approximately 240,000 in 2016.
The AMA's state ...
* Member of the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences
The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, formerly the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, is the oldest natural science research institution and museum in the Americas. It was founded in 1812, by many of the leading natura ...
* Member of the Archaeological Institution of America
* Honorary member of the Medical Society of the District of Columbia[
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boyd, John Covert
1850 births
1924 deaths
People from Lee County, South Carolina
University of Virginia alumni
New York University Grossman School of Medicine alumni
Kappa Sigma founders
United States Navy Medical Corps officers
American Red Cross personnel
American surgeons
Burials at Arlington National Cemetery