Frank Jeremiah Armstrong
Frank Jeremiah Armstrong | |
|---|---|
Chicago, Illinois, US | |
| Alma mater | (MD) |
| Occupations |
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| Known for | Being the first African American to graduate from Cornell College |
Frank Jeremiah Armstrong (April 15, 1877 – November 2, 1946) was an American physician who was the first African-American graduate of Cornell College. He was the assistant of Booker T. Washington and later became a physician. He was murdered in his office in 1946, possibly by a burglar after a hospital's narcotics.
Personal life and career
Armstrong graduated in 1900 from Cornell College as the first African American to do so.[1] His nickname at Cornell was "Buck". He began playing baseball as a part of the Marion Ravens when he was 13 years old, and he played during the 1890s.[2] Armstrong was a part of the college's Adelphian Literary Society and was a secretary of the society for one spring. In 1900, his final year in college, he was the captain of the baseball team. Booker T. Washington was announced as a speaker by Armstrong during the commencement ceremony, leading to Washington hiring Armstrong as his assistant.[1] He received a medical degree from the College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1912 (which became the University of Illinois College of Medicine in 1913). Armstrong became a physician in Chicago. He was a part of the Chicago Medical Society, the American Medical Association, and the National Medical Association.[3]
Armstrong married Jessie Marie Lucas in Chicago, on December 22, 1915. They had no children.
His college commencement address is in the 1905 book A Record of the Celebration of the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Founding of the College, published by Cornell College.[4]
Death
Armstrong was murdered in his office by gunshot on November 2, 1946, when he was 69 years old by a suspected burglar, but nothing was stolen.[3] His body was found by a patient who called for help.[5][6] He was survived by his wife Jessie Marie Armstrong and a $1,000 reward was offered by the police.[3] It was later suspected that the murderer was part of a group after a narcotics safe at Providence hospital.[7]
Legacy
A student residential house and community center on the campus of Cornell College was named in his honor in 2010.[8][9]
References
- ^ a b Jones, Jae (August 12, 2021). "Frank Armstrong: First Black Graduate At Cornell University & Captain Of School's Baseball Team". Black Then. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
- ^ "Baseball: The Cornellian Reports". Cornell College. May 27, 1899. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
- ^ ProQuest 492747665. Retrieved October 10, 2021 – via Cornell College.
- ^ A Record of the Celebration of the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Founding of the College. Cornell College. 1905. p. 217.
- ^ "Slain In Chicago". The Cornellian. November 8, 1946. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
- ISSN 0098-7484.
- ProQuest 492714600. Retrieved October 10, 2021 – via Cornell College.
- ^ "Armstrong House". Cornell College. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
- ^ "First African-American enrolled in 1870". Cornell College. October 30, 2011.