Rebecca Cole
Encyclopedia
Rebecca J. Cole was an American physician. In 1867, she became the second African American
woman to become a doctor in the United States
after Rebecca Crumpler
's achievement three years earlier.
, and would overcome racial and gender barriers to medical education by training in all-female institutions run by women who had been part of the first generation of female physicians graduating mid-century. Cole attended the Institute for Colored Youth
, graduating in 1863. Cole graduated from the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania
in 1867, under the supervision of Ann Preston
, the first woman dean of the school, and went to intern at Elizabeth Blackwell's New York Infirmary for Indigent Women and Children.
Although Cole practiced medicine for fifty years, few records survive to tell her story, and no images of her remain. Her medical thesis at the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania was titled The Eye and Its Appendages.
Cole went on to practice in South Carolina
, then returned to Philadelphia, and in 1873 opened a Women's Directory Center to provide medical and legal services to destitute women and children. In January 1899, she was appointed superintendent of a home, run by the Association for the Relief of Destitute Colored Women and Children in Washington, D.C.
. The annual report for that year stated that she possessed "all the qualities essential to such a position-ability, energy, experience, tact." A subsequent report noted that:
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
woman to become a doctor in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
after Rebecca Crumpler
Rebecca Crumpler
Rebecca Davis Lee Crumpler was an American physician. She was the first African American woman to become a physician in the United States...
's achievement three years earlier.
Biography
Cole was born in Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, and would overcome racial and gender barriers to medical education by training in all-female institutions run by women who had been part of the first generation of female physicians graduating mid-century. Cole attended the Institute for Colored Youth
Institute for Colored Youth
The Institute for Colored Youth was founded in 1837 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. After moving to Delaware County, Pennsylvania and changing its name to Cheyney University, it continues as the oldest African American school of higher education, although degrees were not granted by...
, graduating in 1863. Cole graduated from the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania
Drexel University College of Medicine
Drexel University College of Medicine is the medical school of Drexel University. The medical school has the nation's largest enrollment for a private medical school, and represents the consolidation of two medical schools: the nation's first medical school for women and the first U.S. college of...
in 1867, under the supervision of Ann Preston
Ann Preston
Ann Preston was an American doctor and educator.Born in West Grove, Pennsylvania as one of eight siblings, she was raised as a Quaker by a Quaker minister Amos and his wife Margaret Preston. Three of the children were girls, but Ann was the only one to survive until adulthood...
, the first woman dean of the school, and went to intern at Elizabeth Blackwell's New York Infirmary for Indigent Women and Children.
Although Cole practiced medicine for fifty years, few records survive to tell her story, and no images of her remain. Her medical thesis at the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania was titled The Eye and Its Appendages.
Cole went on to practice in South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
, then returned to Philadelphia, and in 1873 opened a Women's Directory Center to provide medical and legal services to destitute women and children. In January 1899, she was appointed superintendent of a home, run by the Association for the Relief of Destitute Colored Women and Children in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
. The annual report for that year stated that she possessed "all the qualities essential to such a position-ability, energy, experience, tact." A subsequent report noted that: