Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler made history as the first African American woman to earn a medical degree in the United States, breaking through the double barriers of race and gender in the medical field. Despite her groundbreaking achievements, her story was largely unknown for many years, but it continues to inspire and is still being uncovered.
Born Rebecca Davis in 1831 in Christiana, Delaware, Dr. Crumpler’s early years were shaped by loss. Her mother died during childbirth, and her father moved the family to Clover, Virginia. She was raised by her aunt in Pennsylvania, a woman who often cared for sick neighbors. These early experiences of helping her aunt with the sick sparked a desire in Rebecca to become a healer. She later wrote, “I early conceived a liking for, and sought every opportunity to be in a position to relieve the sufferings of others.”
In the early 1850s, Dr. Crumpler moved to Charlestown, Massachusetts, where she began her career as a nurse. At that time, there were no formal nursing schools (the first one wouldn’t open until 1873), so she worked without a formal education, assisting doctors in Boston. She married Wyatt Lee, a laborer from Virginia, in 1852. The couple soon moved to Turner Station, Maryland, where Wyatt worked at the steel mill.
In 1860, Dr. Crumpler made a historic step—she became the first African American woman accepted to the New England Female Medical College in Boston. The college was groundbreaking in its own right, as it was the first to grant medical degrees to women, though it still excluded African Americans in most cases. She attended on a scholarship from abolitionist Benjamin Wade. Despite the challenges, including the death of her husband, Wyatt, from tuberculosis in 1863, Dr. Crumpler persevered. After taking time off to care for Wyatt, she re-enrolled and eventually earned her medical degree on March 1, 1864, at the age of 33. She remains the only African American woman to ever receive a degree from the New England Female Medical College, which later merged with Boston University Medical School.
After earning her degree, Dr. Crumpler practiced medicine in Boston, but in 1865, with the Civil War ending and many newly freed African Americans needing healthcare, she moved to Richmond, Virginia. There, she worked with the Freedmen’s Bureau, helping former slaves and others who had no access to medical care. Dr. Crumpler faced intense racism and sexism in her practice, but she was committed to serving her patients. She believed Richmond was a place “for real missionary work” and saw it as an opportunity to treat the diseases of women and children.
Dr. Crumpler returned to Boston in the late 1860s, where she continued her work, seeing patients in her home in the predominantly African American Beacon Hill neighborhood. She treated anyone in need, regardless of their ability to pay. She faced challenges, including trouble getting prescriptions filled and being denied hospital privileges because of her race. In 1883, she published A Book of Medical Discourses, based on her years of practice. It was one of the first medical texts by an African American author and covered topics like maternal health, pregnancy, and nursing, making it a precursor to today’s What to Expect When You’re Expecting.
In the early 1880s, Dr. Crumpler stopped practicing medicine, and in 1895, she died of fibroid tumors at age 64. She was buried in Fairview Cemetery in Hyde Park, Boston, without a headstone. In 2020, 125 years after her death, a fundraising campaign led to the installation of headstones for both her and her husband, Arthur, who had been buried beside her. In recognition of her legacy, Virginia declared March 30, 2019, “Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler Day,” and her home in Beacon Hill is now a stop on the Boston Women’s Heritage Trail. Today, her legacy is carried on by the Rebecca Lee Society, a medical community for African American women.
Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler’s life and work continue to serve as a powerful reminder of resilience and dedication, especially in the face of adversity. Though there are no surviving photos of her, her impact is felt to this day, inspiring countless people to break barriers and serve others.
