Midian Othello Bousfield

Bousfield was born in Tipton, Missouri, on August 22, 1885.^[1] He was raised in Kansas City, Missouri.^[2] Early on, he worked as a barber, like his father.^[3]

In 1907, he graduated from the University of Kansas with a bachelor's degree.^[2] Bousfield went on to study medicine at Northwestern University Medical School, graduating in 1909.^[2] He was a member of Sigma Pi Phi.^[4] After he earned his medical degree, he worked as an intern at the Freedman's hospital in Washington.^[3] In 1910, he completed his internship and traveled to Brazil in 1911.^[5] During his time in Brazil, he looked for business opportunities, but these did not work out as expected and he returned to Kansas City in 1912.^[5]

After traveling, he raised money to open his own practice by working for the railroads as a barber and a porter.^[6] In Kansas City, he became a visiting physician at the City's General Hospital.^[5] Bousfield was one of the first Black physicians to work at the city's General Hospital.^[7][1] On September 9, 1914, Bousfield married Maudelle Brown and the couple later had a daughter.^[8][7] In 1914, he and the family moved to Chicago.^[3]

Bousfield worked as a school health officer and tuberculosis physician in Chicago until around 1916.^[6] Between 1915 and 1920, he worked as the secretary for the Railway Men's Association, an African American labor union that later became the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters.^[6][4] Bousfield left and became part of a Black-owned business which created the Liberty Life Insurance Company in 1919.^[6] Around the mid-1920s, he became the president of the company.^[9][10] In 1929, the company merged to become Supreme Liberty Life and Bousfield continued his involvement with them throughout his life.^[6]

Bousfield's work in the 1930s moved towards public health. He was a medical consultant to the United States Children's Bureau and the Chicago Board of Health.^[6] He set up infant paralysis units at both Tuskegee Institute and at the Provident Hospital.^[6] Bousfield was the director of the Negro Health Program of the Julius Rosenwald Fund and in this capacity, helped many Black medical professionals earn their degrees.^[6] At the fund, he was also involved with influencing public opinion on health issues facing Black Americans.^[1] Bousfield served as the president of the National Medical Association (NMA) between 1933 and 1934.^[11] During that year, he was the first Black speaker at the annual meeting of the American Public Health Association.^[12] At this speech, "In no uncertain terms he charged that health officials in the North and South paid little attention to the health of blacks."^[13] In 1936, Bousfield became the president of the Chicago Urban League.^[1] In 1939, he became the first African American appointed to the Chicago Board of Education.^[4]

In 1942, Bousfield joined the United States Army as a medical officer.^[6] Bousfield was named head of the all Black medical unit at Fort Huachuca.^[14][15] This was the first all-Black Army hospital and was large, well-equipped and had over 100 beds.^[11][16][17] He was promoted to colonel and became the first Black colonel in the Army Medical Corps.^[18] During his time in the Army, he was criticized by the NMA which felt that the hospital upheld segregationist policies.^[4] Bousfield left the military in 1945.^[18] In 1946, he was awarded the Legion of Merit.^[18]

Bousfield died in his home in Chicago of a heart attack on February 16, 1948.^[3]

• Cook, Beverly A. (1996). "Maudelle Brown Bousfield". In Smith, Jessie Carney (ed.). Notable Black American Women: Book II. Gale Research Inc. ISBN 0810347490.
• Knight, Judson (1999). "Midian Othello Bousfield". In Krapp, Kristine (ed.). Notable Black American Scientists. Gale Research. ISBN 0787627895.

• "Negro Public Health Work Needs Birth Control," by M.O. Bousfield, 1932