Alice Mariah Waring Holmes (June 11, 1872 – August 27, 1939) was an American educator, suffragette, and dentist, thought to be the first female Black dentist in Washington D.C.
Alice Mariah Waring Holmes | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Alice Mariah Waring June 11, 1872 |
| Died | August 27, 1939 (aged 67) |
| Alma mater | Howard University Dental College (D.D.S.) |
| Occupations |
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| Spouse | J. Welford Holmes |
| Children | 1 |
Early life and education
editAlice Mariah Waring was born on June 11, 1872, in Oberlin, Ohio, to William Waring and Amanda Fitz-Allen Hill Waring.[1]: 97 She was one of four children with siblings James, Lavinia and Robert.[1]: 97 She attended the Colored High School in Washington, D.C., and normal school.[1]: 225–226 [2]
She attended Howard University Dental College from 1897 through 1900 and received her D.D.S. in 1900.[1]: 225–226 [3]
Career
editHolmes taught elementary school in the Washington, D.C., school system before and during the time she was attending medical school.[4][5] She had a medical office at 518 T Street NW, described as "the nicest office in her section of the city" by late 1900.[6][7][page needed] She advertised herself as a "surgeon dentist" and stated that children's work was her specialty.[7] She was elected to be the treasurer of the National Association of Colored Dentists in 1901.[8]
She moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, got married, and established herself as a suffragette, attending the National Women's Suffrage Conference in 1913 in her role as president of the Lucy Stone Women's Suffrage League.[9] She was a member of many local clubs including the Aurora Reading Circle and the Negro Women's Republican League where she acted as chairman.[10][11][12] She and Mrs. Israel Lee were chosen as alternates to the national convention at Pennsylvania's Women's Suffrage Convention.[9] In 1923, she was appointed to be an assistant in the Tax Revision office of Allegheny County.[13]
Personal life
editHolmes purchased a lot in the Barry Farm area of Southeastern Washington, D.C., in 1903.[14] She married J. Welford Holmes, a Pittsburgh lawyer who belonged to many fraternal organizations including Prince Hall Freemasonry and the Knights of Pythias of North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia.[15][16] They had one son, J. Welford Holmes Jr. who was born in 1908.[17] J. Welford Holmes Sr. died in 1922.[17]
Death
editHolmes died on August 27, 1939, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.[18]
References
edit- ^ a b c d Lamb, Daniel Smith (March 20, 2020). A historical, biographical and statistical souvenir, comp. and ed. for and by authority of the Medical Faculty of Howard University. hdl:2027/hvd.hn58rk. Retrieved May 5, 2021 – via HathiTrust.
- ^ "High School Alumni Formed". The Colored American. May 19, 1900. p. 4. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
- ^ Dyson, Walter (May 3, 2020). Howard University, the capstone of negro education : a history, 1867-1940. p. 267. hdl:2027/mdp.39015006964129. Retrieved May 6, 2021 – via HathiTrust.
- ^ "Roster of the Teachers". The Evening Times. Washington, D.C. September 17, 1898. p. 8. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
- ^ "Teachers Appointed". The Evening Star. Washington, D.C. July 16, 1895. p. 9. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
- ^ "The Wise-Acres are saying..." The Colored American. October 27, 1900. p. 14. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
- ^ a b Hilyer, Andrew F (June 10, 2020). The twentieth century Union League directory. A compilation of the efforts of the Colored people of Washington for social betterment. Retrieved May 6, 2021 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ "Late Locals". The Colored American. July 13, 1901. p. 12. Retrieved May 6, 2021.
- ^ a b "Afro-American Notes". The Pittsburgh Press. December 7, 1913. p. 46. Retrieved May 6, 2021.
- ^ "Afro-American Notes". Pittsburgh Press. February 1, 1925. p. 78. Retrieved May 6, 2021.
- ^ "Additional Clubs". Pittsburgh Courier. August 25, 1923. p. 4. Retrieved May 6, 2021.
- ^ "Mrs. Beatty Here June 16". Pittsburgh Courier. June 7, 1924. p. 4. Retrieved May 6, 2021.
- ^ "Appointed!". Pittsburgh Courier. September 1, 1923. p. 3. Retrieved May 6, 2021.
- ^ "Real Estate Transfers". The Washington Times. June 16, 1903. p. 10. Retrieved May 6, 2021.
- ^ "Afro-American Notes". The Pittsburgh Press. December 17, 1922. p. 28. Retrieved May 6, 2021.
- ^ Segal, G.R.; Higginbotham, A.L. (2016). Blacks in the Law: Philadelphia and the Nation. Anniversary Collection. University of Pennsylvania Press, Incorporated. p. 181. ISBN 978-1-5128-0640-3. Retrieved May 6, 2021.
- ^ a b "Death of Attorney Announced in Court". The Gazette Times. Pittsburgh. December 10, 1922. p. 14. Retrieved May 6, 2021.
- ^ "Fond Farewell to Alice Holmes!". Pittsburgh Courier. September 2, 1939. p. 9. Retrieved May 6, 2021.