John van Salee de Grasse
Encyclopedia
Dr. John van Salee de Grasse (1825- ) was the first African-American to be formally educated as a doctor in the United States
. He was a member of the Massachusetts Medical Society
, and served as a surgeon during the American Civil War
. His sister Serena was married to New York restauranteur and abolitionist George Downing. van Salee de Grasse was a descendant of Jan Janszoon
through his son Abraham Janszoon van Salee and a black mistress.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He was a member of the Massachusetts Medical Society
Massachusetts Medical Society
The Massachusetts Medical Society is the oldest continuously-operating state medical society in the United States. Incorporated on November 1, 1781, by an act of the Massachusetts General Court, the MMS is a non-profit organization that consists of approximately 22,000 physicians, medical students...
, and served as a surgeon during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. His sister Serena was married to New York restauranteur and abolitionist George Downing. van Salee de Grasse was a descendant of Jan Janszoon
Jan Janszoon
Jan Janszoon van Haarlem, commonly known as Murat Reis the younger was the first President and Grand Admiral of the Corsair Republic of Salé, Governor of Oualidia, and a Dutch pirate, one of the most notorious of the Barbary pirates from the 17th century; the most famous of the "Salé...
through his son Abraham Janszoon van Salee and a black mistress.