Clarence Sumner Janifer Sr.
Born(1886-03-13)March 13, 1886
Virginia
DiedNovember 14, 1950(1950-11-14) (aged 64)
Newark, New Jersey
EducationHomeopathic Medical College of the State of New York (1915)
SpouseUna Marie
ChildrenClarence Janifer Jr.

Clarence Sumner Janifer Sr. (March 13, 1886 – November 14, 1950) was a physician and the first African American member of the Medical Society of New Jersey.

Early life

Janifer was born on March 13, 1886, in Virginia. After his mother died, his father, George Sr. moved the family to Newark, New Jersey. George Sr. worked as a school janitor to support his two sons, George and Clarence. The small family were joined by the boys' uncle Joe and housekeeper and all lived in an upper unit of 190 Ridge Street, Newark.[1]

In 1906, Clarence graduated with honors from Newark High School. Afterwards, he attended Syracuse University in New York. He graduated from the Homeopathic Medical College of the State of New York in 1915. Janifer passed the New Jersey board on his first attempt. Janifer returned to Newark and passed the city's clinic physician examination with a 99.09%.[1]

Military service

In 1917, Janifer volunteered for service in the army's Medical Reserve Corps. During World War I he was a medical officer, and was assigned to the Third Battalion, 372nd Infantry Regiment Medical Corps of the 93rd Division. It was one of the first American units to arrive in France following the declaration of war. General Pershing did not want to handle the African American troops and turned the unit over to the French, who had requested American reinforcements.

Janifer became an expert in leg amputations as many of the soldiers faced trench related injuries, such as trench foot.

On December 13, 1918, he was awarded the Croix de Guerre for providing first hand relief to wounded and courage under fire.[1]

Career

Before the war, Dr. Janifer practiced in Newark as a pediatrician. In 1916, he joined the National Medical Association, and he was the first African American member of the Medical Society of New Jersey.

Following the war, he worked for the Newark Health Department in various part-time positions. For much of his career, Janifer worked in an extremely poor, segregated slum known as, the "old Third Ward in the Hill District." After some time, he was put in charge of Newark's Well Baby Clinic for African Americans.[2] In the mid-1920s, Janifer became a part of the surgical team at Philadelphia's Mercy Hospital.[1]

Dr. Janifer published several articles in the Journal of the National Medical Association, based on his extensive clinical experience at the Well Baby Clinic.[3][4][5][6] His intention was to educate African American mothers and care givers on the importance of child hygiene and nutrition. He hoped this would combat high mortality of African American children.[1]

In 1946, he was asked to join the Newark City Hospital as a member of the pediatrics department. He was the second African American to be invited, the first being Dr. E. Mae McCarrol. In 1948, Dr. Janifer was one of the 42 distinguished citizens honored in the Hall of Fame of the New Jersey Herald Times.[1] He went on to obtain two master's degrees in public health and practiced medicine in Newark for 35 years until his death.[1]

Personal life

Janifer was married to Una Marie, a former teacher at Tuskegee Institute. They had one son named Clarence Jr., born in the early 1920s.[1] He became an oceanographer.[7]

Clarence Sr. died of carcinoma of the prostate[1] on November 14, 1950, in Newark, New Jersey. His wife, Una, survived him by 13 years and continued her life as an activist. Before her death in 1963, Una had been credited with the Brotherhood Award from the Newark Human Rights Commission and given a citation from the Council Against Intolerance in America.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Buckley, Joann H.; Fisher, W. Douglas (2016). African American Doctors of World War I: The Lives of 104 Volunteers. Jefferson: McFarland & Company, Inc. pp. 114–115. ISBN 9781476663159.
  2. ↑ "Clarence Sumner Janifer Sr., M.D. 1915 (1886 –1950)". New York Medical College. Archived from the original on 2019-07-09. Retrieved 2021-11-17.
  3. ↑ Janifer, Clarence S. (November 1943). "The Education of Mothers of Well Babies Through Teaching at the Baby-Keep-Well Stations". Journal of the National Medical Association. 35 (6): 200–202. ISSN 0027-9684. PMC 2615892. PMID 20893187.
  4. ↑ Janifer, Clarence S. (1931). "The Negro Infant Mortality Rate and What the Well-Baby Clinics are doing to Lower It". Journal of the National Medical Association. 23 (4): 168–169. ISSN 0027-9684. PMC 2625129. PMID 20892489.
  5. ↑ Janifer, Clarence S. (1929). "Some Objective Symptoms of Syphilis in Infants". Journal of the National Medical Association. 21 (4): 156–157. ISSN 0027-9684. PMC 2624933. PMID 20892335.
  6. ↑ Janifer, C. S. (1924). "Summer Diarrhoea". Journal of the National Medical Association. 16 (1): 10–13. ISSN 0027-9684. PMC 2622957. PMID 20892057.
  7. ↑ Cummings, Charles F. (February 18, 1999). "Hallowed Names in the Fields of Business, Medicine and Law". Knowing Newark. Archived from the original on 2021-05-11. Retrieved 2021-11-17.
  • Encyclopedia of New Jersey
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