Henry Barton Jacobs (June 2, 1858 – December 18, 1939) was a physician and educator from Maryland. He taught at

Johns Hopkins University The Johns Hopkins University (often abbreviated as Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1876 based on the European research institution model, J ...

and served as a trustee of

Johns Hopkins Hospital Johns Hopkins Hospital (JHH) is the teaching hospital and biomedical research facility of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1889, Johns Hopkins Hospital and its school of medicine are considered to be the foundin ...

and

Peabody Institute The Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University is a Private university, private music and dance music school, conservatory and College-preparatory school, preparatory school in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1857, it became affiliat ...

later in life. He married Mary Frick Garrett, art collector and widow of a

Baltimore and Ohio Railroad The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the oldest railroads in North America, oldest railroad in the United States and the first steam engine, steam-operated common carrier. Construction of the line began in 1828, and it operated as B&O from 1830 ...

president.

Early life

Henry Barton Jacobs was born on June 2, 1858, in South Scituate, Massachusetts, to Frances Almira (née Ford) and Richmond Jacobs. He studied at Hingham High School in Hingham. Jacobs graduated from

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

in 1883 with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

and graduated from

Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical and Academic Area, Longwood Medical Area in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is the third oldest medical school in the Un ...

in 1887 with a

Doctor of Medicine A Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated MD, from the Latin language, Latin ) is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the ''MD'' denotes a professional degree of ph ...

. He worked as an assistant in botany at Harvard from 1884 to 1885. He was a direct descendant of

Peregrine White Peregrine White ( ) was the first boy born on the Pilgrim ship the ''Mayflower'' in the harbour of Massachusetts, the second baby born on the ''Mayflower''s historic voyage, and the first known English child born to the Pilgrims in America. ...

and

William Cushing William Cushing (March 1, 1732 – September 13, 1810) was an American lawyer who was one of the original five associate justices of the United States Supreme Court; confirmed by the United States Senate on September 26, 1789, he served until ...

. He interned at

Massachusetts General Hospital Massachusetts General Hospital (Mass General or MGH) is a teaching hospital located in the West End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. It is the original and largest clinical education and research facility of Harvard Medical School/Harvar ...

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

under Reginald H. Fitz from 1887 to 1888.

Career

Jacobs left Massachusetts General Hospital in spring of 1888. He then became a physician at the Boston Dispensary and started a general medical practice at 8 Hancock Street in Boston. Jacobs became the private physician of

Robert Garrett Robert S. Garrett (May 24, 1875 – April 25, 1961) was an American athlete, as well as investment banker and philanthropist in Baltimore, Maryland and financier of several important archeological excavations. Garrett was the first modern ...

, president of the

, in August 1888. He lived in

Ringwood, New Jersey Ringwood is a borough in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 11,735, a decrease of 493 (−4.0%) from the 2010 census count of 12,228, which in turn reflected a d ...

, in the winter of 1888 and afterward moved to

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the List of United States ...

. He became an associate of medicine at

in 1896 and taught classes at the medical school at Johns Hopkins in its early years. After the departure of

William Osler Sir William Osler, 1st Baronet, (; July 12, 1849 – December 29, 1919) was a Canadian physician and one of the "Big Four" founding professors of Johns Hopkins Hospital. Osler created the first Residency (medicine), residency program for speci ...

to Oxford, Jacobs retired from Johns Hopkins in 1905. Jacobs served as consulting physician and president of the Hospital for Consumptives of Maryland from 1896 to 1901. He was a member of the board of managers of the Maryland State Tuberculosis. He was secretary of the National Association for Prevention of Tuberculosis from 1904 to 1920. He also served as director. Jacobs was a member of the International Association for Prevention of Tuberculosis. Jacobs wrote "Some Distinguished American Students of Tuberculosis" and articles on hygiene. In 1911, Jacobs was elected as a trustee of

. He also served as a trustee of

. He was a fellow of the

American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is a United States–based international nonprofit with the stated mission of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsib ...

. Jacobs served as vice president of the

Baltimore Museum of Art The Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) in Baltimore, Maryland, is an art museum that was founded in 1914. The BMA's collection of 95,000 objects encompasses more than 1,000 works by Henri Matisse anchored by the Cone Collection of modern art, ...

and became president in June 1936. He was member of the executive committee of the Baltimore Society of the Friends of Art. Jacobs was a collector of medical portraiture. He was president of the Johns Hopkins Medical Historical Society. He was a member of the Medical Historical Society of Paris and was an associate editor of the Annals of Medical History. Jacobs spent summer months of his life in

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is a seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Rhode Island, United States. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, and nort ...

, starting in 1890. He served on the executive committee of the Newport Art Society. He served as president of the Spouting Rock Beach Association. He also served as secretary and treasurer. Jacobs was president of the Redwood Library from 1931 to 1939 and governor of the

Newport Casino The Newport Casino is an athletic complex and recreation center located at 180–200 Bellevue Avenue, Newport, Rhode Island in the Bellevue Avenue/Casino Historic District. Built in 1879–1881 by ''New York Herald'' publisher James Gor ...

. He was also vice president of the Newport Improvement Association. He was one of the first members of the board of managers of the Seamen's Church Institute of Newport.

Personal life

Jacobs married the widow of Robert Garrett, Mary Frick Garrett on April 2, 1902, at Grace and St. Peter's Protestant Episcopal Church. His wife died on October 20, 1936. Jacobs lived at Garrett Jacobs Mansion, 11 West Mount Vernon Place in Baltimore. He was friends and neighbors with William Osler. Jacobs had a villa in Newport, Rhode Island. The home was named "Whiteholme" and was designed by

John Russell Pope John Russell Pope (April 24, 1874 – August 27, 1937) was an American architecture, architect whose firm is widely known for designing major public buildings, including the National Archives and Records Administration building (completed in 193 ...

. Jacobs remained active with the Grace and St. Peter's Protestant Episcopal Church. He was a vestryman for 40 years. He was first vestryman of Trinity Church in Newport. Jacobs died following a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

on December 18, 1939, at his mansion in Baltimore. He was buried at Green Mount Cemetery in Baltimore.

Legacy

Jacobs donated his collection of medical books, medallions, engravings and a room to house the collection to Johns Hopkins University in 1932. It also included a collection of writings of

René Laennec René-Théophile-Hyacinthe Laennec (; 17 February 1781 – 13 August 1826) was a French physician and musician. His skill at carving his own wooden flutes led him to invent the stethoscope in 1816, while working at the Hôpital Necker. ...

References

External links

*
Johns Hopkins University, opening of Henry Barton Jacobs Room (1932)University of Baltimore: Correspondence of Henry Barton Jacobs
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jacobs, Henry Barton 1858 births 1939 deaths People from Norwell, Massachusetts Harvard University alumni Harvard Medical School alumni Physicians of Massachusetts General Hospital Johns Hopkins School of Medicine faculty Educators from Baltimore People from Newport, Rhode Island Physicians from Massachusetts Physicians from Baltimore Episcopalians from Maryland Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science