02/12/2025
To celebrate Black History Month, we want to acknowledge four influential African American veterinarians who changed veterinary medicine:
1. Augustus Nathaniel Lushington
Originally from Trinidad, Dr. Lushington immigrated to New York at 20yrs old. He went on to earn a DVM from the University of Pennsylvania in 1897, making him the first black veterinarian in the United States.
2. Frederick Douglass Patterson
After earning his DVM from Iowa State in 1945, Dr. Patterson went on to found the Tuskeegee Institute Veterinary College. He then founded the United Negro College Fund to help African American students gain access to continuing education.
3. Alfreda Johnson Webb
Dr. Webb was the first female graduate of the Tuskeegee Institute Veterinary College. Along with Dr. Jane Hinton, Dr. Webb became one of the first black, female veterinarians in 1949. She continued her own education, earning another degree at MSU, and spent much of her career in academics and research.
4. Iverson C. Bell
Dr. Bell graduated from MSU in 1949, earning a DVM. He went on to become the first African American to become VP of the American Veterinay Medical Association from 1971-1973. Dr. Bell joined the Tuskeegee Institute faculty for a short time, and ultimately started his own veterinary practice where he worked for 35 years.
