Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial ...

politics. 7. Lillian, wife of Dennison O.
Baldwin, of Columbus. On July 19, 1886,
Mrs. Bohannan passed away at Mathews,
Virginia.
The latter years of Dr. Bohannan's life
were cheered by the respect, admiration
and affection of his friends and neighbors
of South Norwalk, Connecticut, and it
was there that he breathed his last, on
October 26, 1897, leaving a record as
physician, soldier and civilian which demands
assured and perpetual preserva-
tion. For more than a century and a half
the name of Bohannan has been an hon-
ored one in Virginia and to-day it is held
in esteem in every portion of the Union
in which it is familar. Its present repre-
sentatives, in different fields of action, are
ably maintaining and extending its an-
cient and well-deserved prestige.
BOHANNAN, Richard Lee,
Physician, Hospital Official.
In these days when every serious pur-
suit is taken lightly and ideals are the lux-
ury of the few, there is genuine satisfac-
tion in finding men who still meet the
duties of a responsible position with the
earnestness and ardor of a whole-hearted
devotee. Dr. Richard Lee Bohannan, the
dean of practicing physicians of Stam-
ford, is such a man. With the keenness
of youth in his level glance, and eternal
youth in his dauntless spirit, he ministers
to the health of the city of Stamford with
the rich experience of a long and success-
ful practice, built upon the foundation of
thorough academic preparation, and pa-
tient, exhaustive study and research along
the lines of his profession.
Richard Lee Bohannan was born November
12, 1850, at the village of Mathews
Court House, Virginia, and is a
son of Dr. John G. and Laura (Lee) Bo-
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
236
hannan, both of whom are now deceased,
the former being represented in this work
by the preceding biography, which in-
cludes full ancestral record.
The preliminary education of Richard
Lee Bohannan was received at Chesapeake
Academy, in his native town.
From his earliest years the tradition of
medical science was familiar to him, his
grandfather having been a physician and
his father being of high standing in the
profession in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
and Westville, Virginia.
This gave him the great advantage of
a studious atmosphere in the home of his
boyhood along the lines of the profes-
sion which he made his choice of a life-
work. His father supplemented his academic
training with the experience gained
during years of practice, including the
period of reconstruction in the South, and
this formed in him habits which stood
him in good stead during his own prac-
tice. He received his technical training
in the Medical Department of the University
of New York, from which he was
graduated with the class of 1874. After
spending two years in a hospital on Black-
well's Island, New York, he settled, in
August, 1876, in Stamford, where he has
since practiced his profession with the
success which is due the thorough stud-
ent in his chosen work. He has long been
recognized as a leader in medical circles,
a man who keeps himself informed of the
latest discoveries and of their bearing on
his profession.
For years Dr. Bohannan has been a
member of the Stamford Medical Society,
having served as its third president and
once since. He was one of its founders
and has also helped to organize the Stamford
Medical Society, and is a member
of the State and American Medical asso-
ciations. He is visiting physician at the