{"id":1201,"date":"2022-10-15T17:16:30","date_gmt":"2022-10-15T17:16:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/?p=1201"},"modified":"2023-04-23T16:14:53","modified_gmt":"2023-04-23T16:14:53","slug":"arthur-willis-davis-alabama-doctor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/arthur-willis-davis-alabama-doctor\/","title":{"rendered":"Arthur Willis Davis, Alabama Doctor &#8211; Cyclopedia"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Dr. Arthur Willis Davis opened his medical practice in Alabama in 1903. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He was one of the earliest generations of African American doctors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This short biography was adapted and modernized from <em>\u201cThe National Cyclopedia of The Colored Race\u201d, published in 1919.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_65 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title \" >Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/arthur-willis-davis-alabama-doctor\/#Early_Life\" title=\"Early Life\">Early Life<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/arthur-willis-davis-alabama-doctor\/#Academic_Studies\" title=\"Academic Studies\">Academic Studies<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/arthur-willis-davis-alabama-doctor\/#Opening_His_First_Practice\" title=\"Opening His First Practice\">Opening His First Practice<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/arthur-willis-davis-alabama-doctor\/#Fourteen_Years_Of_Success\" title=\"Fourteen Years Of Success\">Fourteen Years Of Success<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/arthur-willis-davis-alabama-doctor\/#Family_Life\" title=\"Family Life\">Family Life<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Early_Life\"><\/span>Early Life<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Arthur Willis Davis was born in 1875 in Marion, Alabama.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He went to public school in Marion and aspired to the same opportunities as white students in the advanced educational institutions in the town.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At that time for a black man to aspire to the study of medicine was to approach a field shrouded in awe and mystery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Not notwithstanding the veil of mystery covering the profession, Arthur Davis decided to enter its domain. Alabama was not a section of the country that would make his journey easy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nevertheless, he was determined to secure a good education. Having come to that decision, he left home in search of his goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Academic_Studies\"><\/span>Academic Studies<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Arthur first attended the Talladega College at Talladega, Alabama, where he received a degree in science.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Talladega College is the oldest black college in Alabama. It was founded in 1867 by a group of former slaves with the help of the Freedmen\u2019s Bureau. The original name was Swayne School.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Willis specialized in the sciences for the good it would serve him in his life work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His term at the Talladega College left a religious impression upon his life which remained with him. He was a Congregationalist in the Calvinist tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/talladega-college.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1202\" srcset=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/talladega-college.jpg 600w, https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/talladega-college-300x250.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>He then entered Meharry Medical College, the first black medical school in the South. It is located in Nashville, Tennessee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Davis qualified as a doctor in 1903. He was now ready to hang out his shingle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His eyes turned towards his native State, Alabama. He was ambitious to serve his own people as well as himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Opening_His_First_Practice\"><\/span>Opening His First Practice<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>He opened his first practice in Tuscumbia, Colbert County. He had just twenty-five dollars in his pocket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It was a brave choice. Three black men had been dragged from the jail and lynched in 1894.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, there was a sizeable black population who were increasingly working together for advancement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dr Davis was also able to extend his practice to the nearby City of Sheffield.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He quickly acquired a growing number of patients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Fourteen_Years_Of_Success\"><\/span>Fourteen Years Of Success<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image is-style-rounded\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"536\" src=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Cyclopedia-1024x536.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1040\" srcset=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Cyclopedia-1024x536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Cyclopedia-300x157.jpg 300w, https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Cyclopedia-768x402.jpg 768w, https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Cyclopedia.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Dr Davis was clearly a shrewd investor of the profits from his business. As well as owning a drug store, he also invested in property.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By 1917, his list of assets showed that he owned:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>a comfortable home<\/li><li>a drug store and stock<\/li><li>two farms<\/li><li>a residence in Sheffield which he rents.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>That was just fourteen years after he opened his practice with $25.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He became a Mason and a member of the Mosaic Templars, a black order founded by former slaves in 1883. The organization provided help with death and burial services for impoverished people. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the early 1900s, the Mosaic Templars also provided insurance and savings services. Dr. Davis acted as the State medical examiner for the organization. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He was also the medical examiner for:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>the Conservative Life Insurance Company of West Virginia<\/li><li>the Standard Life Insurance Company of Atlanta, Georgia<\/li><li>the Lincoln Reserve Company of Birmingham, Alabama.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Family_Life\"><\/span>Family Life<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Dr. Davis married two years after he qualified as a doctor. His wife was Hattie Lee Jackson of Nashville, Tennessee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They married on December 26th, 1905, as a Christmas gift to each other. They had one daughter, Sadie May Davis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the 1910 census, the family were living in Tuscumbia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>An eighteen-year-old woman, Anna Balden, was also resident in the house. She was possibly a housekeeper or helping with the three-year old Sadie.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dr. Arthur Willis Davis opened his medical practice in Alabama in 1903. He was one of the earliest generations of African American doctors. This short biography was adapted and modernized from \u201cThe National Cyclopedia of The Colored Race\u201d, published in 1919. Early Life Arthur Willis Davis was born in 1875 in Marion, Alabama. He went &#8230; <a title=\"Arthur Willis Davis, Alabama Doctor &#8211; Cyclopedia\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/arthur-willis-davis-alabama-doctor\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Arthur Willis Davis, Alabama Doctor &#8211; Cyclopedia\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1040,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1201"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1201"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1201\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1573,"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1201\/revisions\/1573"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1040"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1201"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1201"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1201"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}