My article on Dr. John B. Banks is published by BlackPast.org
DR. JOHN BOWMAN BANKS (1862-1911)
POSTED ONAUGUST 11, 2023 / CONTRIBUTED
BY: ROSCOE BARNES IIIDr. John Bowman Banks, first black physician in Natchez,
MSDr. John Bowman (“J.B.”) Banks was the first Black
physician to practice medicine in Natchez,…
DR. JOHN BOWMAN BANKS (1862-1911)
POSTED ONAUGUST 11, 2023 / CONTRIBUTED BY: ROSCOE BARNES III
 |
Dr. John Bowman (“J.B.”) Banks was the first Black physician to practice medicine in Natchez, Miss. He recruited Dr. Albert Woods Dumas, the second Black physician to practice in the city. Together with four other businessmen, they founded an African American bank in Natchez, called Bluff City Savings Bank in 1906.
During the civil rights movement of the 1960s, Banks’
house was the headquarters for the Natchez Branch of the NAACP. It was also the
home of NAACP President George Metcalfe. The building is now listed on the
National Register of Historic Places and is home to the Dr. John Bowman Banks
Museum. In 2022, the Mississippi Humanities Council and Visit Mississippi
placed the house on the Mississippi Freedom Trail and the U.S. Civil Rights
Trail. A ceremony for the unveiling of the Freedom Trail Marker was held in
April 2023.
Banks was born on Feb. 14, 1862, in Louisiana. He spent
his early years in Summit, Miss., a small-town northwest of McComb in Pike
County. Banks began his higher education in 1877 at Leland University of New
Orleans, Louisiana. Banks’ time at the school was interrupted by an outbreak of
yellow fever, which forced him to end his studies.
He and his wife, Sarah, had two children: a daughter,
Alberta Beatrice Banks, and a son, Oliver M. Banks. In 1883, Banks left his
home to attend Meharry Medical College, a private, historically Black school in
Nashville, Tenn. Banks graduated from Meharry, and on April 9, 1885, the
Mississippi State Board of Health issued him his medical license. A few years
later, he opened his practice in Natchez.
Banks was a successful businessman, strong community
leader, and active member of Zion Chapel A.M.E. Church, where Hiram Rhodes
Revels had served as pastor. Revels was the first African American to serve in
the U.S. Senate. Banks also was a friend of Booker T. Washington. Around 1892,
he built the house at 9 St. Catherine Street.
Dr. Banks’ daughter, Alberta, taught at the Union School
in Natchez, founded in 1871 as the first public, co-educational school
established for the African American community. His son, Oliver, studied medicine
and was also a doctor. The Banks’ enjoyed the respect of the Black and White
communities. John Bowman Banks was an active community member, joining in the
efforts to support refugees fleeing flooding in Davis Island in 1897, and in
1898 when Union School needed an extra teacher to help teach 120 students, he
sought and received support from Natchez City officials to have a new teacher
hired.
Banks died in his home on December 30, 1911. He was 49
years old. His funeral at Zion Chapel, and his body interred at Natchez City
Cemetery in Adams County.
Note: This article may be viewed online at https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/dr-john-bowman-banks-1862-1911/
Note about his death:
On the morning of Dec. 26, 1911, Banks was in his office when he fell sick and became paralyzed, according to a newspaper account. He also lost consciousness. After a while, he started to awaken, but his condition grew worse. On Saturday, Dec. 30, 1911, at 1:45 a.m., he died in his home at the age of 49. His death was caused by a cerebral hemorrhage.
___________________________________________________________________
Subjects:
Terms:
Civil Rights
- NAACP, Education -
Historically Black Colleges (HBCU), Civil Rights
- Activist, United
Sates-Mississippi, Meharry
School of Medicine, Occupation -
Medicine, Mississippi-
Natchez
CITE THIS ENTRY IN APA FORMAT:
BlackPast, B. (2023, August 11). Dr. John Bowman Banks (1862-1911). BlackPast.org. https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/dr-john-bowman-banks-1862-1911/
SOURCE OF THE AUTHOR'S INFORMATION:
Henry F. Kletzing, William Henry Crogman, Progress of a Race: Or, The Remarkable Advancement of the Afro-American Negro from the Bondage of Slavery, Ignorance and Poverty, to the Freedom of Citizenship, Intelligence, Affluence, Honor and Trust (J.L. Nichols, 1903) https://books.google.com/books/about/Progress_of_a_Race.html?id=Ss5tAAAAMAAJ
Historic Natchez Foundation, “Dr. John Banks House” https://natchez.org/education/historic-natchez/dr-john-banks-house
T.A. Walker, M.D., “A Tribute to an Old Friend and Schoolmate” Journal of the National Medical Association 4 (1912) https://archive.org/details/journalofnationa04nati/page/176/mode/2up?q=%22john+bowman+banks%22
