February 12th in African American History – August Nathaniel Lushington

February 12, 1939 August Nathaniel Lushington, the first person of African descent to earn a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in the United States, died.

Lushington was born August 1, 1869 in Trinidad, British West Indies. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University in 1894 and his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Pennsylvania Veterinary School in 1897.

Lushington practiced for much of his career in very segregated Lynchburg, Virginia, where he experienced unfair treatment but eventually earned a reputation as a superior practitioner in the community. Today, a photograph of Lushington welcomes students to the University of Pennsylvania Veterinary School.