Nannie C. Straus Dunsmoor (November 17, 1860 – July 18, 1941) was an American medical doctor and one of the first woman to be a medical doctor in California. She continued to practice into her 80s. She was the oldest active member in the United States of the Soroptimist Club.

Early life

Nannie C. Straus was born on November 17, 1860, in

Clarksville, Tennessee Clarksville is the county seat of Montgomery County, Tennessee, United States. It is the fifth-largest city in the state behind Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville, and Chattanooga. The city had a population of 166,722 as of the 2020 United States ce ...

, the daughter of Louis and Ann Straus. The family moved to California in 1875. Nannie C

She graduated in 1887 from

Los Angeles High School Los Angeles High School is the oldest Public education#United States, public high school in the Southern California, Southern California Region and in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Its colors are royal blue and white and the teams are ...

on Poundcake Hill. More than ten years after graduation from high school, together with her husband, she decided to study medicine and enrolled in pre-medical courses at the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

. She graduated in 1900, a pioneer in this field in California, in the same class of her husband, and they became physicians and surgeons.

Career

Nannie C. Dunsmoor was Chief Surgeon at the Los Angeles Receiving Hospital. She was a member of the Hollywood Hospital Staff. She was Medical examiner for the Pacific Mutual Life Insurance Co. She was the first woman physician in Los Angeles to drive a gasoline car, and continued for 33 years, stopping only at 79 years old, when her eyesight was compromised. She was the president of the Professional Women's Club. She was president and treasurer of the Alpha Epsilon Iota. She continued to practice into her 80s. She was the oldest active member in the United States of the

Soroptimist Club Soroptimist International (SI) is a global volunteer service organization for women with nearly 72,000 members in 121 countries worldwide. According to Soroptimist.org, their mission statement says that, "Soroptimist is a global volunteer organiza ...

. She was member of the

Friday Morning Club The Friday Morning Club building is located in Downtown Los Angeles, California. It was the second home of the women's club also named the Friday Morning Club (FMC), for 61 years. The large and elaborate six−story clubhouse was designed by arch ...

Order of the Eastern Star The Order of the Eastern Star is a Freemasonry, Masonic List of fraternal auxiliaries and side degrees, appendant Masonic bodies, body open to both men and women. It was established in by lawyer and educator Rob Morris (Freemason), Rob Morris, ...

, Women's Athletic Club, and the Pioneer Society of Los Angeles.

Personal life

Nannie C. Straus married Dr. John M. Dunsmoor who at the time of their wedding was a school teacher. They had one son, Dr. Robert M. Dunsmoor who became a physician and surgeon at the Georgia Street Receiving Hospital. They lived at 925 Pacific Mutual Bldg., Los Angeles, California, and later moved to 119 N. Belmont Avenue. Her husband died in 1931 and she died on July 18, 1941.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dunsmoor, Nannie C. 1860 births 1941 deaths People from Clarksville, Tennessee University of Southern California alumni Physicians from California 20th-century American physicians Physicians from Tennessee 20th-century American women physicians