A.C. Jackson was an African American surgeon who was murdered during the

Tulsa race massacre The Tulsa race massacre was a two-day-long white supremacist terrorist massacre that took place in the Greenwood District in Tulsa, Oklahoma, between May 31 and June 1, 1921, when mobs of white residents, some of whom had been appointed as ...

in 1921 and is known as the most prominent victim of the massacre. Jackson was a leading member of the Oklahoma medical community and the African-American community in

Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa ( ) is the List of municipalities in Oklahoma, second-most-populous city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma, after Oklahoma City, and the List of United States cities by population, 48th-most-populous city in the United States. The po ...

until his death. Jackson was considered as the "most able Negro surgeon in America" by the Mayo brothers, founders of the Mayo Clinic.

Early life and education

He was born in Memphis to Captain Townsend D. Jackson and Sophronia in February 1879. Townsend Jackson was a former slave from

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who had served in the Union Army during the

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and Sophronia was a former slave from

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. He was the youngest of three children. The family moved to Guthrie in 1889, where his father worked as the town jailer and was elected justice of the peace. Jackson graduated from

Meharry Medical College Meharry Medical College is a private historically black medical school affiliated with the United Methodist Church and located in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1876 as the Medical Department of Central Tennessee College, it was the first m ...

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and trained as a surgeon in Memphis.

Move to Tulsa

In 1910, he married his wife, Julia, and due to increasing segregation and racial animosity toward African-Americans in Guthrie the young couple moved to the Greenwood district in Tulsa. Jackson set up his practice in Greenwood and served as the president of the state medical association. In 1916, he expanded his practice opening up a location in Claremore and in 1918 he met with the then mayor of

Tulsa Tulsa ( ) is the second-most-populous city in the state of Oklahoma, after Oklahoma City, and the 48th-most-populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tul ...

about opening up the "Booker T. Washington Hospital for Negros" on the corner of Boston Ave. and Archer St. The hospital was not built. He was a member of the

International Order of Twelve Knights and Daughters of Tabor The International Order of Twelve Knights and Daughters of Tabor (IOT) is an international co-ed African American fraternal organization best known as the sponsor of the Taborian Hospital. History The International Order of Twelve Knights and ...

, an African American fraternal organization, and served on the board of directors of the Colored Orphan Home for Tulsa. Some of the surgical tools he invented are still in use today.

Death

Former police commissioner and retired judge John Oliphant reported that Jackson was fatally shot in 1921 during the

when he "came walking toward me with his hands in the air" saying "here am I. I want to go with you", surrendering. A mob of about seven armed men intercepted him and two of them shot him. One of the men shot him after he had fallen to the ground. He bled to death from his wounds at the Convention Hall.

Killer

Conflicting reports on the identity of the shooter exist, but sources agree no one was ever charged for the murder of A.C. Jackson. The ''

Tulsa World The ''Tulsa World'' is an American daily newspaper. It serves the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and is the primary newspaper for the northeastern and eastern portions of Oklahoma. The printed edition is the second-most circulated newspaper in the sta ...

'' reported in 2020 that his shooter was never identified, but one of the armed men was identified as a former

Tulsa Police Department The Tulsa Police Department (TPD) is the principal law enforcement agency for the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States. It holds national accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies and stands as the second- ...

officer named Brown by John Oliphant. ''The Victory of Greenwood'', a historical project by Tulsa Star editor Timantha Norman, identifies James “Cowboy” Long as Jackson's killer citing John Oliphant's testimony on July 21, 1921, to the State Attorney General's office.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, A. C. 1879 births 1921 deaths People murdered in 1921 20th-century African-American physicians 20th-century American surgeons Deaths by firearm in Oklahoma Meharry Medical College alumni Physicians from Memphis, Tennessee People involved in the Tulsa race massacre People murdered in Oklahoma