Richard E. Banks (October 23, 1794 – May 6, 1856) was an American physician and

surgeon In modern medicine, a surgeon is a medical professional who performs surgery. Although there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon usually is also a licensed physician or received the same medical training as ...

. Banks was born in Elbert County, Georgia. One of thirteen children, Banks was the only one to attend college. After attending the University of Georgia (for one year), he went to the University of Pennsylvania, where Banks received his medical M.D. degree. After practicing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for a year, he returned to rural northeast Georgia and set up practice not far from his original home. Banks eventually moved to larger offices in

Gainesville, Georgia The city of Gainesville is the county seat of Hall County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 42,296. Because of its large number of poultry processing plants, it is often called the "Poultry Capital of t ...

. Banks traveled to treat settlers and Native Americans of northern Georgia and South Carolina. He was especially noted for treating the Native Americans for smallpox. Banks died in Gainesville on May 6, 1856 and was buried in Alta Vista Cemetery in that city. The

Georgia General Assembly The Georgia General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is bicameral, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Each of the General Assembly's 236 members serve two-year terms and are directly ...

named Banks County in his honor on December 11, 1858.

References

''This Day in Georgia History:October 23'', Ed Jackson and Charly Pou, Carl Vinson Institute of Government, The University of GeorgiaRootsweb Banks County bio for Richard Banks
{{DEFAULTSORT:Banks, Richard E. 1794 births 1856 deaths 19th-century American physicians Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania alumni Banks County, Georgia People from Elbert County, Georgia People from Gainesville, Georgia