William Mecklenburg Polk (15 August 1844 – 1918) 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 ...
.
Biography
He was the son of
Leonidas Polk
Lieutenant-General Leonidas Polk (April 10, 1806 – June 14, 1864) was a bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana and founder of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the Confederate States of America, which separated from the Episcopal Chur ...
, born at
Ashwood,
Maury Co.,
Tenn. He served in the
Confederate army
The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...
under his father during the
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
, advancing from the rank of cadet to captain. After graduating from the
College of Physicians and Surgeons,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
, he settled in the same city, serving as
professor
Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who pr ...
of therapeutics and clinical medicine at
Bellevue Hospital Medical College
NYU Grossman School of Medicine is a medical school of New York University, a private research university in New York City. It was founded in 1841 and is one of two medical schools of the university, with the other being the Long Island School of ...
(1875–1879), of obstetrics and
gynaecology
Gynaecology or gynecology (see spelling differences) is the area of medicine that involves the treatment of women's diseases, especially those of the reproductive organs. It is often paired with the field of obstetrics, forming the combined are ...
at 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 ...
(1879–1898), and subsequently as
dean
Dean may refer to:
People
* Dean (given name)
* Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin
* Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk
* Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean
Titles
* ...
and professor of gynæcology at
Cornell University
Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...
Medical College. He also became connected with many hospitals and dispensaries, and was president 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 ...
in 1910–1914. After volunteering for service in 1917, William Polk was a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserve Medical Corps upon his death on June 23, 1918.
[Polk IV, Francis Devereux. "Confederate officer becomes officer in WWI". ''Confederate Veteran''. March/April 2017. Page 53] His son,
Frank Polk
Frank Lyon Polk (September 13, 1871 – February 7, 1943) was an American lawyer and diplomat, who was also a name partner of the law firm today known as Davis Polk & Wardwell.
Early life
Polk was born in New York City. He was the son of W ...
, served as counselor to the Department of State through World War One and later became the first US
Under Secretary of State
Under Secretary of State (U/S) is a title used by senior officials of the United States Department of State who rank above the Assistant Secretaries and below the Deputy Secretary.
From 1919 to 1972, the Under Secretary was the second-ranking of ...
.
Writings
He was author o
''Leonidas Polk, Bishop and General'' (1893; new edition, two volumes, 1915)and of numerous contributions to medical journals, later reprinted.
Notes
References
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Polk, William Mecklenburg
1844 births
1918 deaths
19th-century American physicians
American biographers
American science writers
Cornell University faculty
People of Tennessee in the American Civil War
Confederate States Army officers
Physicians from New York City
William Meclkenburg
People from Maury County, Tennessee
19th-century American politicians
Historians from New York (state)