Dr. Louis Tompkins Wright was one of the most important Black physicians of the 20th century.
Born in LaGrange, Georgia, in 1891, Wright graduated from Harvard Medical School in 1915. After serving in World War I with the U.S. Army Medical Corps, he returned home with lasting injuries from a gas attack and received the Purple Heart.
In 1919, Wright joined Harlem Hospital in New York City. He became the first Black physician appointed to its surgical staff and spent more than three decades helping raise the hospital’s medical standards. His work helped open doors for Black doctors and nurses at a time when racial discrimination blocked many from serving in major hospitals.
Wright was also a medical researcher. He studied infectious diseases, surgery, head injuries, antibiotics, and cancer. He helped establish a cancer research center at Harlem Hospital and supported scientific work that later connected to advances in chemotherapy research.
Beyond medicine, Wright was a civil rights leader. He served for years with the NAACP and became chairman of its national board. In 1940, he received the NAACP’s Spingarn Medal for his service to medicine and justice.
Dr. Wright died on October 8, 1952. In 1953, he was posthumously awarded the American Cancer Society Medal for 1952, recognizing his contributions to cancer research.
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