Marie Bernadette Lucas (c. 1875 – February 23, 1935) was an African American physician, one of the earliest women to practice medicine in Washington, D.C.
As a young woman, she worked in public schools in Washington,[1][2] having studied at the Miner Normal School, a teachers' college for African American students.[3] She married M. Grant Lucas, who at one time was principal of Blanche Kelso Bruce Elementary School and the Wormley School.[1][4][5][6] The couple had one son, in 1907.[1][4][7]
Lucas studied medicine at Howard University, a historically Black university, that from its founding accepted both male and female students.[4][5][8] While at Howard, she was awarded the George N. Perry prize for her high grades in pediatrics,[1][2] and she was class secretary for her program.[9] She graduated with an M.D. in 1914, the only woman to graduate from the program that year, and was subsequently licensed to practice medicine in the District of Columbia.[1][6][10][11] She would go on to practice medicine for twenty years.[5][8]
After graduating, she joined the staff of physicians at the Freedmen's Hospital, which is now Howard University Hospital.[4][12] She worked in the hospital's pediatrics department.[12][13] She was the founding chairwoman of the Harriet Tubman Branch of the local Red Cross.[14] Later, she was examining physician for the Teachers' Benefit and Annuity Association.[5][8]
By the early 1920s, she was one of just nine women medical doctors in Washington, D.C., and she was described at the time as "the most active and successful" of them.[4] Her practice was considered lucrative at the time.[4]
Having begun her career as a teacher, Lucas remained involved in various educational efforts, both medical and non-medical. She lectured on hygiene at what was then the Maryland Normal and Industrial School at Bowie, now Bowie State University,[4] as well as at various conferences and schools.[3][12][15][16] She was also involved in the Frelinghuysen University, an education initiative for Black students, as a trustee at the Hannah Stanley Opportunity School, which was within the Frelinghuysen system.[17] Additionally, she was a longtime member of the Public School Community Center Council.[5][8]
Lucas's son became a physician.[4][5] She died in 1935 at her home on 15th Street NW in Washington.[5][8] She was 60 years old.[18]
References edit
- ^ a b c d e "Men of the Month: A Woman Physician". The Crisis. 9 (1). November 1914.
- ^ a b "Mrs. Marie B. Lucas Excels in Medical Department Test". The Evening Star. October 12, 1913.
- ^ a b "In the Schools". The Evening Star. December 17, 1916.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Brown, Sara W. (1923). "Colored Women Physicians". The Southern Workman. LII. The Press of Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Dr. Marie B. Lucas Funeral Tomorrow". The Evening Star. February 25, 1935.
- ^ a b "Gets Degree in Medicine: Mrs. Marie B. Lucas Graduates From Howard University". The Sunday Star. June 7, 1914.
- ^ "Births Reported". The Evening Star. July 8, 1907.
- ^ a b c d e "Dr. Marie B. Lucas Dies at Her Home". The Sunday Star. February 24, 1935.
- ^ "Death of Dr. J. M. Lamb". Howard University Journal. March 1, 1912. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
- ^ Report of the Health Officer. District of Columbia Health Department. 1919.
- ^ "Howard University Catalogue 1914-1915" (PDF). Howard University Record. May 1915. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
- ^ a b c "Addresses Colored Y.W.C.A.". The Evening Star. November 1, 1915.
- ^ Commissioners, District of Columbia Board of (1922). Report of the Government of the District of Columbia: Including Miscellaneous Reports.
- ^ "Over One Hundred Recruits for Harriet Tubman Branch of the District Red Cross". The Evening Star. April 6, 1917.
- ^ "Health Campaign Closes At Gibbons Institute After 2 Months of Work". The New York Age. April 9, 1927.
- ^ "Playground Children Have Exhibition Games". The Evening Star. August 2, 1914.
- ^ "Frelinghuysen University Night at Shiloh Baptist Church Program" (PDF). Frelinghuysen Memorabilia. 1934.
- ^ "Deaths Reported". The Evening Star. February 27, 1935.