Dr. Andrew Burton Medical Certificate 1932
Record of the Month!
In honor of Black History Month, we are featuring the medical certificate of Dr. Andrew Samuel Burton, who became the first African American doctor in Licking County in 1932.
Andrew Samuel Burton was born November 20, 1893 in
Brownstown, Jamaica to Samuel and Sarah Burton. At the time Jamaica was part of
the British West Indies, making Andrew, his parents, and four younger siblings
subjects of the British Crown. In 1911, Samuel and Sarah decided to move their
family to the United States, eventually settling in Brooklyn, New York.
When the United States entered the First World War on April
6, 1917, the war had been raging across Europe for two years claiming the lives
of millions. The combatants, the Triple Entente and the Central Powers, each
had a well-functioning recruitment and mobilization program by this stage in
the war in an effort to outpace the other. However, the United States, which
was unprepared for war had to begin rapid recruitment, training, and mobilizing
troops. In the summer of 1917, when registration offices began springing up
across the country, Burton was 25 years old and a student at Howard University
in Washington D.C.
Burton enlisted as a private on November 19, 1917 and was
initially assigned to Company H of the 368 Infantry. Shortly after making the
treacherous journey over there,
Burton was attached to the Intelligence Headquarters of the 371st Infantry,
a post he served in until February 11, 1919. Just over two weeks later Burton returned
to the United States and was honorably discharged at Camp Meade, Maryland on
February 19, 1919.
After return from war, Burton went back to his studies at
Howard University, earning an undergraduate degree in 1923. While completing
his undergraduate degree he became a naturalized citizen of the United States.
Upon graduation, he was accepted to Meharry Medical College in Nashville,
Tennessee. In 1925 Burton married Pearl E. Lewis, though the marriage ended
between 1931 and 1932 for unknown reasons. Dr. Burton graduated from Meharry
Medical College in 1928 and began practicing medicine and moving around. On February
8, 1933 Dr. Burton married Arizona Hudson in Erie County, Ohio, where she was
living and working as a typist. Shortly after their marriage Dr. and Mrs.
Burton settled in Newark, Ohio. Dr. Burton took on a position as a staff doctor
at Licking Memorial Hospital (LMH).
Mrs. Burton became well known for being an insightful listener,
hugely generous, and an excellent cook who always had room at her table for one
more. Meanwhile, Dr. Burton was finding new ways to care for the community in
and outside of the hospital. One friend of Dr. and Mrs. Burton, Mrs. Evelyn
Blair, remembered his work to organize a junior NAACP, because “those were the
days of segregation. In Newark the young colored people had such a little to do
for recreation. Dr. [Burton] tried to involve the young people in constructive
programs” (Blair, 1969, as cited in Jackson, 2008).
Known as the “Rose Doctor” by friends and colleagues, his
love of the flower became a trademark. Dr. Burton was a member of the American
Rose Society and the Columbus Rose Club and was a co-founder and a president of
the Moundbuilders Rose Society. In his free time Dr. Burton worked to plant and
maintain rose gardens throughout the county, including around LMH and the
Licking County Courthouse. In 1967, Dr. Burton was honored as the Outstanding
Rosarian of the State of Ohio. In the same year he was also elected Man of Year
by the Optimist Club.
Dr. Burton also served as a member of the advisory board of
the Salvation Army. In 1969, Dr. Burton donated an Aesculapius fountain as the
focal point of a rose garden he designed for LMH’s front entrance. The fountain
was restored and relocated after it was damaged in a windstorm by a downed tree
between 2008 and 2009.
Dr. Burton became a prominent member of the Licking County
Medical Society, the Ohio Academy of Family Physicians, and the American
Academy of Family Physicians. He also served as a president and secretary of
the Licking County Academy of General Practice, as well as serving as a vice
president for the American Physicians Art Association.
From Dr. Burton’s arrival through his death on May 13, 1974,
he is fondly remembered as a compassionate, warm, and modest person who was
dedicated to his patients, family, friends, and the Licking County community at
large.
If Dr. Burton’s story interests you, and you would like to
learn more about inclusivity and community involvement, we recommend visiting
the Licking County Chapter of the NAACP’s Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/NAACPLC/).
Additionally the NAACP is celebrating Black History Month by hosting a digital
series of open-minded community conversations through the month February. These
digital events are free and open to all, though you do need to RSVP to
participate. To register for these events and for more information please visit
the link (https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/upAtceCprT0iE9Rz8Ya1B4qoJS3Pz-DQl5Bn).
For more information regarding the Licking County Records
& Archives Center, please feel free to contact us by phone at 740-670-5121
or email archives@lcounty.com.
A Special thank you to Jack Goodman the Local History
Specialist from the Licking County Library for assisting with virtual access to
sources related to Dr. Burton’s story. To see all of the sources and images of
selected records used to write this article, please check out the Bibliography Page.
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