Anderson Ruffing Abbott holds the distinction of being the first black Canadian to be a licenced physician, though he had many other notable achievements during his lifetime. Born and raised in Toronto in 1837, Abbott's family had worked hard and invested wisely, becoming quite wealthy and able to afford a proper education for their children.
Abbott received his medical licence in 1861 and actually served the Union Army during the American Civil War as a 'private contractor'. Part of his duty saw him doing service in Washington D.C. and he became quite popular in that city's high society. He met and became friends with Abraham Lincoln and eventually attended the deathbed of Lincoln after he was assassinated.
Amongst his many accolades and achievements were starting his own medical practice in Chatham Ontario, becoming president of the Wilberforce Educational Society of Toronto, his appointment as coroner of Kent county in Ontario, and his contribution to the Chatham newspaper. He was also Associate Editor of the British Methodist Episcopal Church journal, president of the Chatham Debating Society and the Chatham Medical Society. He eventually moved to Chicago when he was appointed Surgeon-in Chief at Provident Hospital, eventually becoming Medical Superintendent in 1896.
Abbott eventually returned to his medical practice in Toronto, where he lived out the rest of his life, writing for several publications and furthering the cause of blacks in Canadian society.
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