Nathan Francis Mossell (July 27, 1856 – October 27, 1946) was an American physician. Born in
Hamilton, Ontario, Mossell was the fourth of six children and both his parents were descended from freed slaves. During the
American Civil War, the family moved back to the United States, settling in
Lockport, New York, where Mossell's father went into business. Mossell earned a degree from
Lincoln University, a historically black college in Pennsylvania, followed by the
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, where he graduated in 1882. He was active in the
NAACP and also helped found the
Douglass Hospital in West Philadelphia in 1895, which he led as chief of staff and medical director until he retired in 1933. His wife was the activist and teacher
Gertrude Bustill Mossell. This portrait of Mossell was taken around 1882.
Photograph credit: H. D. Carns & Co.; restored by Adam Cuerden
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