Juan Drummond Family Collection
Dr. Juan Bennett Drummond (1864-1926) was the first African American woman licensed in the state of Massachusetts to practice medicine. She was a member of the New Bedford High School Class of 1883 and graduated from the Women’s Medical College of Pennsylvania in 1888. Dr. Drummond practiced medicine for 34 years and was one of several women who were instrumental in founding the New Bedford Home for the Aged with Elizabeth Carter Brooks.
Dr. Juan Bennett Drummond (1864-1926), born in New Bedford on June 7, 1864, was the first African American woman licensed in the state of Massachusetts to practice medicine. She was a member of the New Bedford High School Class of 1883 and graduated from the Women’s Medical College of Pennsylvania in 1888.
Dr. Drummond practiced medicine for 34 years. During the early years of her practice, she took care of patients out of her home. Later, she moved her practice to an office above the old State Theater on Purchase Street. Dr. Drummond was a community activist and one of several women who were instrumental in founding the New Bedford Home for the Aged with Elizabeth Carter Brooks.
Dr. Drummond was the daughter of Morris Bennett, who was a native of St. Helena, and Maria McCurry Bennett of Fall River. Dr. Drummond was a descendent through her mother, of abolitionist Paul Cuffe (1759-1817). Dr. Bennett married Andrew F. Drummond, whose maternal and paternal family ancestry in New Bedford dated back to the 18th century. She passed away on November 4, 1926 at the age of 62 in her home at 275 Kempton Street.
Lee Blake, New Bedford Historical Society
Information from
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Hayden, Robert C. African Americans and Cape Verdean Americans in New Bedford: A History of Community and Achievement. Select Publications, 1993.
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New Bedford Historical Society
