Rebecca Lee Crumpler

(1831 - 1895)

Physician

Visit Her Landmarks

Doctor Rebecca Lee Crumpler (1831 – 1895) was a physician, nurse, author and the first African-American woman to become a doctor of medicine in the United States in 1864.

Despite her numerous contributions to medicine, no known likeness of her exists, though photos of other Black women in medicine are often misattributed to her.

Learn more: NOT Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler (Fake History Hunters)

This Day in History: Rebecca Lee Crumpler

Related Landmarks

Home of Rebecca Lee Crumpler

West End

67 Joy St., Boston, MA 02114

19th Century

Education

Medicine

Rebecca Lee Crumpler (1831–1895), the first African American woman doctor, treated freedmen post-Civil War and wrote A Book of Medical Discourses.

New England Female Medical College, now the Boston University School of Medicine

South End

East Concord Street and East Newton Street at Harrison Avenue, Boston, MA 02118

19th Century

Education

Medicine

The New England Female Medical College, founded in 1848, was here. It trained women in medicine, including Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler (1831-1895), the first African American woman doctor.