Williams, Daniel Hale
Williams, Daniel Hale (1858-1931), black physician and surgical pioneer who performed the first successful heart surgery. Born in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, Williams started work as an apprentice shoemaker at age 12. He worked his way through Janesville Classical Academy in Janesville, Wisconsin, as a barber and bass violinist. In 1893 he received a medical degree from Chicago Medical College, now part of Northwestern University. After serving his internship at Mercy Hospital in Chicago, Williams was appointed surgeon at the city's South Side Dispensary and instru…
