Gertrude Curtis
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Gertrude Curtis | |
|---|---|
 Curtis in a 1910 newspaper | |
| Born | March 1, 1880 |
| Died | August 3, 1973 (aged 93) |
| Other names | Gertrude Curtis McPherson (using 1st husband's legal surname) |
| Occupation | Dentist |
| Spouse(s) | Cecil Mack Ulysses "Slow Kid" Thompson |
Gertrude Elizabeth Curtis (March 1, 1880 – August 3, 1973), also known as Gertrude Curtis McPherson, was an American dentist. She had a longtime practice in Harlem.
Curtis was from Bradford, Pennsylvania,[1] and was the daughter of Stephen Curtis and Agnes Elizabeth Curtis. Her father was a barber. She graduated from the New York College of Dental and Oral Surgery in 1909,[2] becoming the first black woman to gain a dentistry license in New York State.[3]
Career
Soon after completing her dental education, Curtis ran a weekly dental clinic at Bellevue Hospital.[3] She had a dental practice in Harlem for many years.[4][5]
Curtis was active in politics and civic organizations.[6][7] She served as a delegate to the 1918 Republican State Convention in Saratoga,[8] and represented the Roosevelt Colored Women's Republican Club at the 1920 Republican National Convention in Chicago. She was president of the Business and Professional Women's Club in Harlem in 1932.[9] She was a member of the NAACP, spoke at the YWCA and Mother Zion Church on health topics,[10] and helped to raise money for the Sojourner Truth Home for Wayward Girls.[11] She was active with the Harlem Experimental Theatre.[12]
Curtis was also involved in her musician husband's work. She helped with publicity for a special midnight performance of Shuffle Along in 1921, a benefit for the NAACP.[13] She accompanied a show on its European tour in 1923, and directed a choir during another show's tour in Europe in 1929[14] and 1930.[11]
