Gunning S. Bedford
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Gunning S. Bedford (1806 - 5 September 1870) was a medical writer, teacher and founder of the United States' first obstetrical clinic for those too poor to pay a doctor's fee. Dr. Bedford graduated in 1825 at
Mount Saint Mary's University Mount St. Mary's University (The Mount) is a private Roman Catholic university in Emmitsburg, Maryland. It includes the largest Catholic seminary in the United States. The undergraduate programs are divided between the College of Liberal Arts, ...
(then Mount Saint Mary's College), Emmitsburg, Maryland, and took his medical degree from
Rutgers College Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was ...
. He spent two years studying abroad and in 1833 became professor of obstetrics in Charleston Medical College. After this he became a professor in the
Albany Medical College Albany Medical College (AMC) is a private medical school in Albany, New York. It was founded in 1839 by Alden March and James H. Armsby and is one of the oldest medical schools in the nation. The college is part of the Albany Medical Center, whi ...
. He later founded the University Medical College in which he established an obstetrical clinic for those too poor to afford a doctor which was the first of in the United States. He retired from teaching for health reasons in 1862 and he died in 1870. His funeral panegyric was preached by Archbishop
John McCloskey John McCloskey (March 10, 1810 – October 10, 1885) was a senior-ranking American prelate of the Catholic Church. He was the first American born Archbishop of New York from 1864 until his death in 1885, having previously served as Bishop o ...
a fellow student at Mount St. Mary's. Two books written by him, "Diseases of Women" and "Practice of Obstetrics" went through a number of editions, were translated into French and German and adopted as textbooks in American schools. His son Gunning S. Bedford (1837–1893) was Assistant
New York County District Attorney The New York County District Attorney, also known as the Manhattan District Attorney, is the elected district attorney for New York County (Manhattan), New York. The office is responsible for the prosecution of violations of New York state laws ...
under
A. Oakey Hall Abraham Oakey Hall (July 26, 1826 – October 7, 1898) was an American politician, lawyer, and writer. He served as Mayor of New York from 1869 to 1872 as a Democrat. Hall, known as "Elegant Oakey", was a model of serenity and respectability. ...
from 1865 to 1868, a New York City judge from 1869 to 1878, and again Asst. D.A. under Randolph B. Martine, John R. Fellows and
De Lancey Nicoll De Lancey Nicoll (June 24, 1854 – March 31, 1931) was a New York County District Attorney. Early life De Lancey Nicoll was born on Shelter Island on June 24, 1854. He was the son of Solomon Townsend Nicoll (1813–1864) and Charlotte Anne Ni ...
from 1885 until his death. His uncle Gunning Bedford was one of the framers of the United States Constitution; another uncle, also named Gunning Bedford, was an aide-de-camp to General
George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...
and later became the Governor of Delaware.


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''OBITUARY.; Ex-Judge Gunning S. Bedford''
in NYT on October 30, 1893 1806 births 1870 deaths American obstetricians American medical writers American male non-fiction writers American textbook writers Medical educators Mount St. Mary's University alumni Rutgers University alumni {{US-physician-stub