Eliza Ann Grier facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Eliza Anna Grier
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| Born | 1864 Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, United States
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| Died | 1902 |
| Education | Fisk University (1891) Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania (1897) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Obstetrics and Gynecology |
Eliza Anna Grier (born 1864, died 1902) was an American doctor. She was the first African-American woman to get a license to practice medicine in Georgia, USA.
Early Life and Education
Eliza Anna Grier was born in 1864. Her parents were Emily and George Washington Grier. They lived in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. Even though she was born after the Emancipation Proclamation, she was still treated like a slave. This was because the Union Army had not yet reached her part of North Carolina. After the Civil War ended, she became truly free.
As a baby, she moved to Nashville, Tennessee. There, she studied teaching at Fisk University. To pay for her studies, she worked for a year, then studied for a year. She started in 1884 and finished in 1891.
Becoming a Doctor
In 1890, Eliza wanted to become a doctor. She wrote to the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania. She explained that she had very little money. She asked if they could help a former slave become a doctor.
She was accepted into the college in 1893. Again, she worked between her study periods to support herself. Eliza worked for a year picking cotton. This helped her pay for the next year of medical school. It took her seven years to graduate, but she earned her degree in 1897.
Medical Career
After graduating, Eliza moved to Atlanta, Georgia. She applied for a license to practice medicine in Fulton County. This made her the first African-American woman to get a medical license in Georgia.
Dr. Grier opened her own medical office in Atlanta. She focused on obstetrics (helping women during childbirth) and gynecology (women's health). She once said that she saw white doctors getting paid for helping with childbirth, while Black women did most of the work. She wanted to earn that money herself.
She worked hard to become a doctor. She felt welcomed by some of the best white doctors in the city. They promised her a fair chance in her profession. She said, "That is all I ask."
Later Life and Death
To earn more money, Dr. Grier also took on teaching jobs. Sadly, she became very ill in 1901. This was only three years after she started her medical practice. She could no longer work. She wrote to women's rights activist Susan B. Anthony for financial help.
Eliza moved to Albany, Georgia. Her brother, Richard Edgar Grier, was also a doctor there. She died in 1902, just five years after becoming a doctor. She was buried in Charlotte, North Carolina.
See also
In Spanish: Eliza Ann Grier para niños
