T. R. M. Howard facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dr. T. R. M. Howard
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Theodore Roosevelt Howard
March 4, 1908 Murray, Kentucky, U.S.
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| Died | May 1, 1976 (aged 68) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
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| Alma mater | Oakwood University Union College of Lincoln College of Medical Evangelists |
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| Fields | Surgeon |
Theodore Roosevelt Mason Howard (born March 4, 1908 – died May 1, 1976) was an important American leader. He was a civil rights activist, a leader in community groups, a business owner, and a surgeon. Dr. Howard is known for helping many people and for being a mentor to famous activists like Medgar Evers, Fannie Lou Hamer, and Jesse Jackson. Their work helped start the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s.
In the 1950s, Dr. Howard started the Regional Council of Negro Leadership in Mississippi. This was a major civil rights group. He also played a big part in investigating the kidnapping and murder of Emmett Till. He was also the president of the National Medical Association. Dr. Howard strongly supported African-American businesses. He worked not only as a doctor but also to improve the health and lives of Black communities.
Contents
Early Life and School
Theodore Howard was born in 1908 in Murray, Kentucky. His father, Arthur Howard, worked with tobacco. His mother, Mary Chandler, was a cook for a local doctor named Will Mason. Dr. Mason noticed young Theodore's hard work and talent. He gave him a job in his hospital. Dr. Mason even helped pay for much of Theodore's medical school. Later, Theodore added "Mason" to his middle name to show his thanks.
Dr. Mason helped Theodore start his medical career. Theodore worked closely with him as his student. Howard went to three colleges that were part of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. These were Oakwood Junior College in Huntsville, Alabama, Union College in Lincoln, Nebraska, and the College of Medical Evangelists (now Loma Linda University) in Loma Linda, California. While at Union College, he won a national public speaking contest in 1930.
During medical school in California, Howard became involved in civil rights. He wrote a regular column for the California Eagle, a major Black newspaper in Los Angeles. He also led the California Economic, Commercial, and Political League. Through his writings and leadership, he encouraged Black people to own businesses. He also promoted the study of Black history. He spoke out against efforts to create segregation in his area.
In 1935, he married Helen Nela Boyd, a well-known socialite. They were married for 41 years. After finishing his medical training, Dr. Howard became the medical director of the Riverside Sanitarium. This was the main Adventist hospital for Black people.
Dr. Howard's Career and Activism
Dr. Howard became the chief medical director and surgeon at an Adventist hospital in Nashville, Tennessee. Like many other Black medical professionals at that time, he faced unfair treatment. Because of these difficulties, Howard moved in 1942. He became the first chief surgeon at the hospital of the International Order of Twelve Knights and Daughters of Tabor. This was a community group in Mound Bayou, Mississippi. This town was founded and run by freed people after the Civil War.
Dr. Howard was already active in civil rights. In Mound Bayou, his work as a doctor and his activism came together. He focused on how medical care was unfair and how social issues affected Black communities. He helped the town's economy by bringing jobs, animals, and new farm tools to his large farm.
He also started an insurance company, a restaurant, and a home construction business. He built a small zoo, a park, and the first swimming pool for Black people in Mississippi.
In 1947, Dr. Howard left the Knights and Daughters group. He then started his own group called The United Order of Friendship America (UOFA). He created "Friendship Medical Clinics." These clinics provided medical care for the Black community, which was often hard to get. He treated patients from all backgrounds. He believed in equal medical care for everyone. His efforts also included helping with education, voting rights, and jobs for the Black community. He organized many rallies that brought civil rights leaders, politicians, and celebrities from all over the country.
Dr. Howard became more famous. He was even featured in an article by a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer. He tried to get help from politicians for his public health projects. This showed his desire to work with people who had different ideas.
Howard became a major civil rights leader when he founded the Regional Council of Negro Leadership (RCNL) in 1951. Medgar Evers worked for his insurance company and was part of the RCNL. Aaron Henry, a future civil rights leader, was also involved. The RCNL successfully boycotted gas stations that did not allow Black people to use their restrooms. They handed out twenty thousand bumper stickers that said, "Don't Buy Gas Where You Can't Use the Restroom." The group often held events to support civil rights and voter registration. The RCNL's success helped over 20,000 new Black voters register in Mississippi by 1954.
The RCNL held yearly rallies in Mound Bayou for civil rights. Sometimes, as many as ten thousand people attended. Future activists like Fannie Lou Hamer were there. Speakers included important figures like Rep. William L. Dawson and NAACP attorney Thurgood Marshall. Famous singer Mahalia Jackson also performed.
In 1954, Howard came up with a plan to fight back against white groups that tried to stop civil rights activists from getting loans. He suggested that Black-owned businesses and churches move their money to the Tri-State Bank of Memphis. This bank then provided loans to those who were struggling in Mississippi.
Emmett Till Case
Dr. Howard gained national attention after the murder of Emmett Till in August 1955. He also played a key role in the trial of the accused men, J. W. Milam and Roy Bryant. Howard stated that if "the killing of Negroes is allowed to continue, Mississippi will have a civil war." He was deeply involved in finding evidence for the case. His home became a safe place for witnesses and journalists. He led a private investigation to find and protect important witnesses.
Visitors to his home noticed the strong security, including armed guards. Historians have described his home as being like a "compound" because it was so well protected. Howard found ways around unfair gun control laws. He kept a pistol hidden in his car and a Thompson submachine gun near his bed. He paid for Emmett's mother, Mamie Till Bradley, to come from Chicago to testify. She stayed at his home. Howard safely took her and others to and from the courthouse in a protected group of cars.
After an all-white jury found Milam and Bryant not guilty, Howard gave many speeches across the country. He spoke to thousands of people. One important speech was on November 27 in Montgomery, Alabama, at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church. Martin Luther King Jr. hosted the event, and Rosa Parks was in the audience. Years later, Rosa Parks said Howard's speech was the "first mass meeting that we had in Montgomery" after Till's death. Just four days after his speech, Rosa Parks famously refused to give up her seat on a city bus.
Howard's speaking tour ended with a large rally for twenty thousand people at Madison Square Garden. He was the main speaker. He shared the stage with other important leaders like Adam Clayton Powell Jr. and Eleanor Roosevelt.
In late 1955, Dr. Howard and his family faced many threats. He sold most of his property and moved to Chicago permanently. He was still seen as a national civil rights leader.
In early 1956, The Chicago Defender newspaper named Howard as a top national honoree. He opened the Howard Medical Center in Chicago. He also served as president of the National Medical Association, a group for Black doctors.
Politics and Community Work
Dr. Howard was different from some civil rights leaders because he strongly believed in business ownership and self-help. He admired Booker T. Washington for his focus on these ideas.
His medical and political work showed him the challenges faced by the Black community in Mound Bayou. This led him to support the desegregation of schools. After the important Brown v. Board of Education decision, there was more violence against civil rights activists. Despite this, Howard continued to fight for equal education and medical care.
In 1958, Howard ran for Congress as a Republican in Chicago. He ran against a powerful Black Democrat, Rep. William L. Dawson. Even though he got good media attention, Dawson won the election. Howard could not overcome Dawson's strong political organization.
Shortly before the election, Howard helped start the Chicago League of Negro Voters. This group worked against the main political machine in Chicago. It helped elect Black candidates from both parties. This group helped start the Black independent movement of the 1960s and 1970s. This movement helped four of Howard's friends become important leaders: Ralph Metcalfe, Charles Hayes, and Gus Savage became Congressmen, and Harold Washington became mayor of Chicago.
In the years after 1958, Howard was less of a national leader but remained important locally. In 1965, he led a committee in Chicago to raise money for the children of Malcolm X, who had recently been killed. He also helped the Chicago chapter of the SCLC's Operation Breadbasket under Jesse Jackson. In 1971, the organization PUSH was founded in Howard's Chicago home. He led the group's finance committee.
Dr. Howard's belief in fair medical care clearly shaped his political actions. The challenges he faced show his dedication to making changes during a difficult time.
Friendship Medical Center
In 1972, Dr. Howard founded the Friendship Medical Center in Chicago. This was a large, privately owned Black clinic. It had about 160 staff members, including 27 doctors. They offered services like care for children, dental care, a pharmacy, and counseling.
Personal Life
In Chicago, Dr. Howard became very interested in big game hunting. He traveled to Africa several times for this hobby. His Chicago home had a "safari room" filled with his hunting trophies. This room was often open for public tours. His New Year's Eve parties, hosted with his wife Helen, were popular events for Chicago's Black social community.
Dr. Howard passed away in Chicago on May 1, 1976, after many years of declining health. The Reverend Jesse Jackson led his funeral service.
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Dr. T. R. M. Howard
