Robert Tanner Freeman
Bornc. 1846
Washington, D.C., U.S.
DiedJune 10, 1873(1873-06-10) (aged 26–27)
Washington, D.C.
EducationHarvard School of Dental Medicine (DMD 1869)
OccupationDentist
Known forFirst African American dentist

Robert Tanner Freeman (c. 1846–1873) was an American dentist. As one of the first six students to attend the Harvard School of Dental Medicine, he became the first African American to graduate with a dental degree in the United States on March 10, 1869. He subsequently practiced dentistry in Washington, D.C.[1]

Early life and education

Freeman was born near Washington, D.C., in about 1846. He was the son of a carpenter who had bought his family's freedom and then moved to Raleigh, North Carolina. During his late teens, Freeman worked for a mentor, Dr. Henry Bliss Noble, a white dentist in Washington.[2][1]

Before Freeman was accepted into the Harvard Dental School, now the Harvard School of Dental Medicine, he was rejected by two other institutions because of the color of his skin. The dental school's first dean, Nathan Cooley Keep, interviewed him and invited him to become one of the first six students to attend Harvard Dental School.[2][1] On March 10, 1869, Freeman became the first African American to graduate from that school, also becoming the first African American awarded a dental degree in the United States.[3]

Career

After receiving his DMD (Doctor of Medicine in Dentistry) degree, Freeman returned to Washington, D.C., to launch a dental practice, establishing himself in the same building as his mentor, Dr. Noble. Fours years removed from graduating and practicing professionally, Freeman contracted an unspecified water-borne disease that resulted in his untimely death on June 10, 1873.[4]

Legacy

The Washington Society of Colored Dentists, established in 1900, renamed itself in 1909 the Robert Tanner Freeman Dental Society in honor of America's first African American dentist. Freeman was the grandfather of Robert C. Weaver, the first African American to serve in the U.S. Cabinet, serving under President Lyndon B. Johnson as Secretary of Housing & Urban Development.[4]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Dummett, Clifton (1989). "a Historical Perspective Of Thirteen Unheralded Contributors To Medicodental Progress". J Natl Med Assoc. 81 (3): 307–20. PMC 2571621. PMID 2651678.
  2. 1 2 Dixen, Russell; Byrd, Grace (1949). "The Supply of Negro Health Personnel-Dentists". Journal of Negro Education. 18 (3): 357–363. doi:10.2307/2966142. JSTOR 2966142.
  3. ↑ "Introducing Diversity". Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine.
  4. 1 2 "Robert Tanner Freeman (1846-1873)". BlackPast.org. 2007-01-18. Retrieved 2023-02-23.
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