Notable New Orleanians: A Tricentennial Tribute

LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY HEALTH
SCIENCES CENTER SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
Charity Hospital, c. 1939.
It was at the insistence of Dr. Arthur
Vidrine, Sr., superintendent of Charity
Hospital, who prompted former Governor
Huey P. Long to build a medical school in
New Orleans as a branch of Louisiana State
University (LSU)–Baton Rouge. Vidrine, it
seems, was about as political as the governor
was at that time. Even as early as 1866, talk
included building a School of Medicine at
the Louisiana State Seminary and Military
Academy in Alexandria combined with the
School of Civil Engineering and award a
dual degree of engineer and physician.
They advertised for faculty to teach
medicine, surgery, geology, chemistry, and
mineralogy, even hired two doctors.
However, no students applied, and the
idea was soon scrapped. But, Long did not
give up. On January 3, 1931, Louisiana State
University Board of Supervisors and the
Charity Hospital governing board were
called to Long’s suite in the Roosevelt Hotel
in New Orleans. Long, still in his pajamas,
conducted the short meeting in which
he proposed a School of Medicine in
New Orleans and Vidrine would assume
the lead as dean and superintendent. With
little discussion, the governor’s proposals
were adopted and the school was born.
Now, all he needed to do was find a site,
and the Charity board obligingly donated
land on Tulane Avenue. He handled financing
easily, with the Baton Rouge campus selling
some land to the State Highway Department
and the proceeds would fund construction.
The fact that the Baton Rouge campus
did not want to sell the land, and the
Highway Department did not want to
acquire it were minor details. After all,
Long had won. He had his school, a dean,
the site and funding!
The newspaper accused Long of stealing
money from the Highway Trust Fund and
he retorted that he “had stolen two million”
and encouraged the paper to publish what
it wished. More backlash was felt when
news of the school’s approval was published.
Some felt Tulane was being threatened and
the “Spite School” theory was born, believing
that Long wanted to avenge himself against
Esmond Phelps, a prominent attorney and
the president of Tulane’s board, who had
in 1929 tried to have Long impeached.
Another theory involved Charles C. Bass,
DDS, MD, dean of the Tulane Medical
School, being upset by the perceived threat,
because Long had been denied an honorary
doctorate from the Law School. It was well
known that Long was ruthless, dictatorial,
and power-hungry, but there is no evidence
to support a “Spite School” theory. Instead,
he contended, his wanting the school was
out of love of LSU and concern for the
health of the poor.
The LSU School of Medicine officially
opened October 1, 1931. Dedication was
postponed until May 1932 to coincide
with the AMA convention being held in
New Orleans. At that time, the school was
showcased to the many visiting dignitaries.
The school would later become the
Louisiana State University Health Sciences
Center School of Medicine–New Orleans
(LSUHSC-NO).
NOTABLE NEW ORLEANIANS: A Tricentennial Tribute
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