Daniel Hale Williams

Daniel Hale Williams (January 18, 1856 – August 4, 1931) was an African-American surgeon. In 1893, he became the first surgeon to perform a cardiac surgery.

Early life 
Daniel Hale Williams III was born on January 18, 1856, in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, to Sarah Price Williams and Daniel Hale Williams II, who was a barber. The couple had several children. Williams III started as a shoemaker apprentice. Later he worked with the Equal Rights League, which was a black civil rights organization active during the Reconstruction era. He went to Chicago Medical college. 

Public life
In 1891, Williams opened Provident Hospital and Training School for Nurses. It was the first hospital with an interracial staff. In 1893, Williams was the first surgeon to perform open-heart surgery in the United States.  The following year, he became chief surgeon at Freedmen's Hospital.

References

Category:1856 births
Category:1931 deaths
Category:American surgeons
Category:Scientists from Pennsylvania
Category:Scientists from Illinois
Category:People from Rockford, Illinois