Josephine M. R. White deLacour (October 4, 1849 – March 16, 1929) 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

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 ...

and one of the first woman physicians in

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

Early life

Josephine Margaret Rebecca White was born on October 4, 1849, to Mary (née Beyer) and Alexander White at Beyerbrook Farm in

Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Lancaster County (; Pennsylvania Dutch: Lengeschder Kaundi), sometimes nicknamed the Garden Spot of America or Pennsylvania Dutch Country, is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in the south central part of Pennsylvania. ...

. Her family moved to

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington ( Lenape: ''Paxahakink /'' ''Pakehakink)'' is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish settlement in North America. It lies at the confluence of the Christina ...

in the 1850s. She graduated from Wesleyan Female College in Wilmington in 1875 and received her medical degree from the

Women's Medical College of Pennsylvania A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female humans regardl ...

in 1878.

Career

She began her practice in Wilmington, Delaware in 1879 and in 1880 became the first woman elected a member of the Delaware Medical Society. She was also active in the women's suffrage movement, serving as president of the Wilmington Equal Suffrage Association from 1914 to 1916. She was one of the founders of the Physicians' and Surgeons' Hospital (later

Wilmington General Hospital ChristianaCare is a network of private, non-profit hospitals providing health care services to all of the U.S. state of Delaware and portions of seven counties bordering the state in Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey. The system includes two h ...

). In June 1895, she ran for Wilmington's Board of Education, but was defeated. Josephine White deLacour practiced medicine in Wilmington for 50 years, until her death.

Personal life

In 1900, she married Edward deLacour (1855–1928), a judge of the Appeal Tax Court of Baltimore. They lived at 706 West Street in Wilmington, Delaware, where she also had her office.

Death

She died on March 16, 1929, from

angina Angina, also known as angina pectoris, is chest pain or pressure, usually caused by ischemia, insufficient blood flow to the Cardiac muscle, heart muscle (myocardium). It is most commonly a symptom of coronary artery disease. Angina is typical ...

at her home in Wilmington. She is buried at the Old Swedes Cemetery in Wilmington.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:DeLacour, Josephine White 1849 births 1929 deaths American women physicians Suffragists from Delaware People from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Physicians from Wilmington, Delaware Wesleyan Female College (Wilmington) alumni Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania alumni