![Julia Holmes Smith, The World's Congress of Representative Women, v](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1c/Julia_Holmes_Smith%2C_The_World%27s_Congress_of_Representative_Women%2C_v._1%2C_1894.png)
Julia Holmes Smith (December 23, 1839 – November 10, 1930) was an American physician, publisher, and suffragist from
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 ...
. Born to a wealthy family, she received private tutoring then attended a women's school in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
. Widowed at an early age, Smith remarried in 1872 and attended medical classes at the
Boston University School of Medicine and Chicago Homeopathic Medical College. She opened a medical practice in
Chicago, Illinois
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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and was the first dean of the National Medical College. In 1895, she was appointed the first female trustee of the
University of Illinois
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Univer ...
.
Biography
![Juliaholmessmith](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9d/Juliaholmessmith.PNG)
Julia Holmes was born on December 23, 1839, in
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia and is the county seat of Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the British colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later t ...
, to a wealthy family. Holmes grew up in
, where she was tutored at home. She attended school in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
, graduating from the
Spingler Institute for Girls when she was eighteen. Holmes married Waldo Abbott, nephew of principal
Gorham Dummer Abbott, in 1860. He died four years later of
yellow fever
Yellow fever is a viral disease of typically short duration. In most cases, symptoms include fever, chills, loss of appetite, nausea, muscle pains – particularly in the back – and headaches. Symptoms typically improve within five days. ...
, leaving a son and a daughter; the daughter died months later. To support herself in the meantime, Holmes taught school and published. She was the drama critic for the ''
New Orleans Picayune.
In 1872, Holmes married wealthy merchant Sabin Smith and moved with him to
Boston, Massachusetts. She attended
Boston University School of Medicine from 1872 to 1874, then studied medicine in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
. She moved to
Chicago, Illinois
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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in 1876, where she completed her medical education at the Chicago Homeopathic Medical College, graduating in 1877.
[
Smith opened a medical practice specializing in general and medical gynecology. She also lectured on diseases of women at Chicago Homeopathic. Smith was the first dean of the National Medical College, serving three years. In 1886, she co-founded the ]Illinois Woman's Press Association The Illinois Woman's Press Association (IWPA) is an Illinois-based organization of professional women and men pursuing careers across the communications spectrum. It was founded in 1885 by a group of 47 women who saw a need for communication and sup ...
in her home. She was a founding member of the Queen Isabella Association. She was on the board of directors of the Congress of Women of the World's Columbian Exposition
The World's Columbian Exposition (also known as the Chicago World's Fair) was a world's fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. The centerpiece of the Fair, hel ...
of 1893. She unsuccessfully campaigned for a position as trustee, at the time an elected position, of the University of Illinois
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Univer ...
in 1894. However, the next year, Governor John Peter Altgeld named Smith as the school's first female trustee to fill a vacancy. Thanks to the success of Smith, eleven of the eighteen candidates for the university board the next year were women.[
Smith was a fellow 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 sta ...
and a member of the American Institute of Homeopathy. She lived in Oak Park, Illinois
Oak Park is a village in Cook County, Illinois, adjacent to Chicago. It is the 29th-most populous municipality in Illinois with a population of 54,583 as of the 2020 U.S. Census estimate. Oak Park was first settled in 1835 and later incorporated ...
. Smith retired in 1917 and died November 10, 1930, in Winnetka, Illinois
Winnetka () is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States, located north of downtown Chicago. The population was 12,316 as of 2019. The village is one of the wealthiest places in the nation in terms of household income. It was the second- ...
. She was cremated at Graceland Cemetery
Graceland Cemetery is a large historic garden cemetery located in the north side community area of Uptown, in the city of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Established in 1860, its main entrance is at the intersection of Clark Street and Ir ...
in Chicago.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Julia Holmes
1839 births
1930 deaths
19th-century American women physicians
19th-century American physicians
20th-century American women physicians
20th-century American physicians
Boston University School of Medicine alumni
Burials at Graceland Cemetery (Chicago)
Leaders of the University of Illinois
People from New Orleans
People from Oak Park, Illinois
People from Savannah, Georgia
Physicians from Illinois
Physicians from Georgia (U.S. state)
Women heads of universities and colleges