Anna Louise James

Anna Louis James
Posted on 02/01/2022
Anna Louis James

Anna Louise James was born on January 19, 1886, in Hartford, Connecticut. Her father, Willis Samuel James, was born enslaved and escaped at the age 16 through the Underground Railroad.

Anna dedicated her early life to education. In 1908, Anna became the first African American woman to graduate from the Brooklyn College of Pharmacy in New York.

After graduating, Anna operated a drugstore in Hartford until 1911. Later, she went to work at her brother-in-law’s pharmacy making her the first female African American pharmacist in the Connecticut.

Anna operated the James Pharmacy in Old Saybrook, Connecticut for fifty years.

Source: https://connecticuthistory.org/anna-louise-james-makes-history-with-medicine/
Photo Source: http://id.lib.harvard.edu/images/olvwork20006904/urn-3:RAD.SCHL:345433/catalog