1837–1913
Toronto Necropolis
Section VNG Lot 75
Dr. Anderson Ruffin Abbott was a revolutionizing Canadian physician and human rights advocate whose life’s work advanced the cause of Black rights and freedoms in North America. Born in Toronto in 1837 to Wilson and Ellen Toyer Abbott, who fled the United States to escape discriminatory laws, Abbott grew up in a household committed to education and justice. He studied at the Buxton Mission School, Oberlin College’s Preparatory Department and the Toronto School of Medicine, earning his medical license in 1861, thereby becoming the first Canadian-born Black physician
Between 1863 and 1865, Abbott served in multiple roles, starting as a medical cadet and then a civilian surgeon in Washington, DC. He was one of only 13 black surgeons to serve in the American Civil War. During his time in Washington, he lived at the same boarding house as Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley, the African-American activist, personal seamstress and confidante to Mary Todd Lincoln. When President Abraham Lincoln was shot on April 14, 1865, it was Abbott who escorted Keckley to the White House. Abbott is believed to have been one of the doctors who stood vigil by President Lincoln prior to his death from this fatal bullet. Following the president’s death, Mary Todd Lincoln presented Abbott with the plaid shawl her husband wore during his 1861 inauguration.
Returning to Canada in 1871, Abbott established a medical practice in Chatham, Ont., becoming a tireless advocate for education and civil rights. He served as Kent County’s first Black coroner, president of the Chatham Medical Society and president of the Wilberforce Educational Institute – a school dedicated to preparing Black students for higher education. Through these roles, Abbott challenged systemic discrimination and opened doors for African Canadians.
Abbott also shaped public discourse. As associate editor of the Missionary Messenger and a respected lecturer, he promoted racial justice and intellectual advancement. At the turn of the century, Abbott sided with influential philosopher W.E.B. Du Bois in the debate over Black progress, insisting that education was essential for equality. He wrote: “It is just as natural for two races living together on the same soil to blend as it is for the waters of two river tributaries to mingle.”
He continued writing and advocating until his death in 1913. Toronto Necropolis serves as the final resting place of Anderson Abbott, a man whose pioneering legacy lives on as a symbol of courage and commitment to human rights and racial equality, inspiring generations to follow in his footsteps.
Sources:
• Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry – Honoured Physicians: Dr. Anderson Ruffin Abbott
• Wikipedia – Anderson Ruffin Abbott
• CBC News – Black doctor from Canada served in U.S. Civil War, attended dying Abe Lincoln
• University of Toronto – First Canadian-born Black doctor studied at U of T
• Dictionary of Canadian Biography – Dr. Anderson Ruffin Abbott
• Mount Pleasant Group – Anderson Ruffin Abbott
Photos:
• Black and white - Wikimedia Commons, public domain
• Sepia - Photograph Courtesy of Toronto Public Library. Circa 1863. Photograph taken by Brady's National Photographic Portrait Galleries.
