History of medical practice in Illinois - Bushnell Historical Society

Appendix 503high school in Chicago and inaugurated the present educational system inthis city. From 1853-55 he was active in founding Northwestern University,and became the first President of its Board of Trustees, a position he helduntil his death in 1897. He was responsible for the passage of a bill in theState Legislature exempting Northwestern University from taxation andgranting valuable lands to it. He, himself, gave $180,000 to it, and his namewas given to the site of the University, namely Evanston. He was the organizerof the Hospital of the Lakes, which later became Mercy Hospital. Hewas interested in the development of railroads and raised funds to buildthe Chicago Ft. Wayne Railroad, which later became the great PennsylvaniaSystem. He is said to have been responsible for the location of the terminalof this road at the Union Station. All this time he was an active practitionerof medicine and Professor of Obstetrics in Rush Medical College. In theearly sixties he became interested in national politics. He was a zealousRepublican and was a member of the convention that nominated Lincolnin Chicago. His friendship with Lincoln resulted in his appointment asTerritorial Governor of Colorado. This was an important as well as a verydifficult position to fill, for the great West was developing rapidly and theIndian problem was acute at the time of the Civil War. For the next thirtyfiveyears his activities were centered in Colorado and he observed, andwas in certain ways responsible for, its development from a wilderness intothe great state of today. He built a railroad from Cheyenne to Denver(Union Pacific) and thus put Denver on the map. He opened mines, installedstreet cars in Denver, started towns, founded the Denver Universityand gave to it $150,000 besides land, and was President of its Board ofTrustees until he died. A business block and a public school in Denver werenamed after him. One of the highest and most massive peaks of the Rockiesin Colorado bears his name—Mount Evans— by legislative action. Inmemory of his wife who died early, he built the large Lawrence StreetMethodist Church of Denver. A splendid picture of him hangs in theCapitol in Denver.Dr. N. S. Davis. "As I last saw him, he was walking north toward his homeon a summer day after his work in the office. He was then over eighty. Hisspare form, strong face, erect figure and brisk step would attract attentionwithout the tall silk hat and the swallowtail coat that he always wore.There was dignity in his look and carriage, self-reliance, force. Knowing asI did by that time of some of his major accomplishments, I thought thenand I think the same now that I was looking at one of the giants in themedical world of those days, a true physician and a true gentleman of theold school. As such I have tried to portray him." ** From a paper written by Dr. James B. Herrick, published in the Bulletin of theSociety of Medical History of Chicago, 4:403, 1935.