Ella P. Stewart (March 6, 1893 – November 27, 1987) was an American pharmacist who was one of the

first African American African Americans are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group in the United States. The first achievements by African Americans in diverse fields have historically marked footholds, often leading to more widespread cultural chan ...

female pharmacists in the United States."Ella Stewart." ''Contemporary Black Biography''. Vol. 39. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Accessed via ''Biography in Context'' database, July 2, 2016
Available online
via Encyclopedia.com.

Early life and education

Stewart was born Ella Nora Phillips, in Stringtown, a small village near Berryville, in Clark County, Virginia, the oldest of the four children of Henry H. Philips and Eliza T. (Carr) Phillips."Ella P. Stewart." ''Notable Black American Women'' ook I Gale, 1992. Accessed via ''Biography in Context'' database, July 2, 2016. Her parents were sharecroppers. When she was six years old she was sent to live with her paternal grandmother in Berryville, to attend grade school. An outstanding student, she graduated at the top of her grade school class, and won several major scholarships to what was then the Storer Normal School (later,

Storer College Storer College was a historically Black college in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, that operated from 1867 to 1955. A national icon for Black Americans, in the town where the 'end of American slavery began', as Frederick Douglass famously put i ...

), in nearby

Harpers Ferry, West Virginia Harpers Ferry is a historic town in Jefferson County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 269 at the 2020 United States census. Situated at the confluence of the Potomac River, Potomac and Shenandoah River, Shenandoah Rivers in the ...

; she entered Storer at the age of 12. Stewart withdrew from the teacher training program at Storer in order to marry Charles Myers, who was a classmate there. The couple moved to

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

, Pennsylvania. After their only child, Virginia, died of

whooping cough Whooping cough ( or ), also known as pertussis or the 100-day cough, is a highly contagious, Vaccine-preventable diseases, vaccine-preventable Pathogenic bacteria, bacterial disease. Initial symptoms are usually similar to those of the common c ...

at the age of three, they divorced. In Pittsburgh, Stewart began working in a local pharmacy as a bookkeeper, and her job sparked in her an interest in becoming a

pharmacist A pharmacist, also known as a chemist in English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English, is a healthcare professional who is knowledgeable about preparation, mechanism of action, clinical usage and legislation of medications in ...

. Despite the challenges she faced both as a woman and as an African American, she gained admittance to the

University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy The University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy is the graduate pharmacy school of the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1878, it offers Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degre ...

in 1914. She completed her degree in pharmaceutical chemistry (Ph.C.) in 1916, becoming the first black woman to graduate from Pitt's pharmacy program.Ivry, Sara (February 19, 2025)
Toledo’s Most Singular Pharmacist: The Ella P. Stewart Scrapbooks offer insight into the life and legacy of a pioneering Black woman who broke color barriers and helped birth the fight for civil rights.
JSTOR Daily.Johnson, Randall K. (2023)
Ella P. Stewart and the Benefits of Owning a Neighborhood Pharmacy.
''Administrative Law Review''. 8:2, 101-120. In the same year, Stewart passed the state examination becoming the first African American female pharmacist in the state of

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

and one of the first African American female pharmacists in the country.

Career

Stewart initially worked as an assistant pharmacist for the Mendelsson Drug Company, owned by two classmates from the University of Pittsburgh. She later went on to own and operate a drugstore at the General Hospital in

Braddock, Pennsylvania Braddock is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough located in the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, upstream from the mouth of the Monongahela River. The population was 1,721 as of the 2020 United States ...

. In 1918 she moved back to Pittsburgh, where she again established her own business, Myers Pharmacy. On May 1, 1920, she married William Wyatt "Doc" Stewart, a fellow pharmacist in Pittsburgh, and a fellow alumnus of the Pitt pharmacy program. The couple settled in

Youngstown, Ohio Youngstown is a city in Mahoning County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Ohio, 11th-most populous city in Ohio with a population of 60,068 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Mahoning ...

, where, Ella Stewart was hired as a pharmacist at the Youngstown City Hospital. After some time, she and her husband moved to

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

, where they stayed for a short period, and then to

Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in Lucas County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the western end of Lake Erie along the Maumee River. Toledo is the List of cities in Ohio, fourth-most populous city in Ohio and List of United Sta ...

. In 1922, Ella Stewart and her husband, William, opened Stewarts' Pharmacy, Portrait of the staff of the Ella P. and William Stewart pharmacy.
Toledo Lucas County Public Library, Local History and Genealogy. the first Black-owned pharmacy in Toledo. Stewarts' Pharmacy was located at 566 Indiana Avenue, at the corner of Indiana and City Park NW, and initially had a mostly white customer base. The Stewarts owned the 566 Indiana Avenue building and lived above the pharmacy in an eight room residence in Toledo's Pinewood district, where two-thirds of the city's African Americans lived. Stewarts Pharmacy was a popular neighborhood gathering place, and the Stewarts regularly entertained visitors, including

Marian Anderson Marian Anderson (February 27, 1897April 8, 1993) was an American contralto. She performed a wide range of music, from opera to spirituals. Anderson performed with renowned orchestras in major concert and recital venues throughout the United S ...

Mary McLeod Bethune Mary McLeod Bethune (; July 10, 1875 – May 18, 1955) was an American educator, Philanthropy, philanthropist, Humanitarianism, humanitarian, Womanism, womanist, and civil rights activist. Bethune founded the National Council of Negro Women in ...

, E. Simms Campbell, General Benjamin O. Davis Jr.,

W. E. B. Du Bois William Edward Burghardt Du Bois ( ; February 23, 1868 – August 27, 1963) was an American sociologist, socialist, historian, and Pan-Africanist civil rights activist. Born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, Du Bois grew up in a relativel ...

, and

Paul Robeson Paul Leroy Robeson ( ; April 9, 1898 – January 23, 1976) was an American bass-baritone concert artist, actor, professional American football, football player, and activist who became famous both for his cultural accomplishments and for h ...

Rayford Logan Rayford Whittingham Logan (January 7, 1897 – November 4, 1982) was an African-American historian and Pan-African activist. He was best known for his study of post-Reconstruction America, a period he termed "the nadir of American race relatio ...

, and

Carter G. Woodson Carter Godwin Woodson (December 19, 1875April 3, 1950) was an American historian, author, journalist, and the founder of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). He was one of the first scholars to study the ...

. In 1945, the Stewarts sold the pharmacy.Russell, Rose (February 12, 2012).
Toledoan battled discrimination with grace, poise; Pharmacist left her mark across world
" ''The Blade'' (Toledo, Ohio). Retrieved July 4, 2016.

Civic activities

By the 1930s Stewart became a leading member of community groups in Toledo, including the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) and the Enterprise Charity Club, a social-service organization run by African-American women. From 1944 to 1948 she served as president of the Ohio Association of Colored Women; and from 1948 to 1952, as president of the

National Association of Colored Women's Clubs The National Association of Colored Women's Clubs (NACWC) is an American organization that was formed in July 1896 at the First Annual Convention of the National Federation of Afro-American Women in Washington, D.C., United States, by a merger of ...

(NACWC). As leader of the NACWC, Stewart spoke out against segregation, discrimination, and racist stereotypes. In 1961 she became an inaugural member of the Toledo Board of Community Relations, which worked to improve race relations in the city, and to ensure enforcement of civil-rights legislation. Stewart's civic activities eventually took on an international dimension: in 1952 she was appointed as an American delegate to the International Conference of Women of the World, held in Athens, Greece. She subsequently spent time during the 1950s touring as a goodwill ambassador for the United States; in 1954 one such U.S. State Department tour took her to several nations in Southeast Asia, including India, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. In 1963 she was appointed to the United States commission of the

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

(UNESCO), and in her role, she travelled around the world as a US goodwill ambassador. Stewart spent the rest of her life in Toledo, remaining active as a volunteer and philanthropist.

Personal

Ella Stewart's husband, William Stewart, died in 1976 at the age of 83. She moved into a retirement home a few years later, in 1980. She died in 1987, at the age of 94.

Legacy

Ella Nora Phillips Stewart is known not only for becoming one of the first African American female pharmacists but also for her struggles against

discrimination Discrimination is the process of making unfair or prejudicial distinctions between people based on the groups, classes, or other categories to which they belong or are perceived to belong, such as race, gender, age, class, religion, or sex ...

and her impact in the community. The Ella P. Stewart Scrapbooks are housed at

Bowling Green State University Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is a Public university, public research university in Bowling Green, Ohio, United States. The main academic and residential campus is south of Toledo, Ohio. The university has nationally recognized progr ...

. Selected awards and honors * 1961: A new school in Toledo was named in her honor, the Ella P. Stewart Elementary School (later: Ella P. Stewart Academy for Girls). In subsequent years Stewart volunteered there regularly. In 1974 the school created a museum to house Stewart's plaques and awards, and memorabilia she collected on her international tours. * 1969: Named to the roster of Distinguished Alumni of the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy Pitt Pharmacy: Distinguished Alumni Through the Years
" University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy. Retrieved July 4, 2016. *1974: Honorary doctorate,

University of Toledo The University of Toledo (UToledo or UT) is a Public university, public research university in Toledo, Ohio, United States. It is the northernmost campus of the University System of Ohio. The university also operates a Health Science campus, ...

*1978: Inducted into the

Ohio Women's Hall of Fame The Ohio Women's Hall of Fame was a program the State of Ohio's Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, Department of Job and Family Services ran from 1978 through 2011. The Hall has over 400 members. In 2019, the Hall's physical archives an ...

*1999: Inaugural inductee, posthumously, Toledo Civic Hall of Fame *2023: Conference room at the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy named in her honor.

References

External links

Guide to the Papers of Ella P. StewartSummary view
Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH. Include
digitized items

Papers of Ella P. Stewart
(catalog record), University of Toledo, Ohio {{DEFAULTSORT:Stewart, Ella P. 1893 births 1987 deaths People from Clarke County, Virginia People from West Virginia People from Youngstown, Ohio Pharmacists from Ohio American women pharmacists University of Pittsburgh alumni African-American history of West Virginia People from Toledo, Ohio Presidents of the National Association of Colored Women's Clubs 20th-century American pharmacists 20th-century African-American women 20th-century African-American businesspeople 20th-century American businesswomen African-American pharmacists Pharmacists from Pennsylvania