Johns Hopkins Hospital: A Name, A Legacy

who was john hopkins hospital named after

Johns Hopkins Hospital was named after the philanthropist Johns Hopkins, who was a U.S. millionaire merchant and investor. In his will, Hopkins left $7 million to establish a hospital, medical school, orphanage, and university in Baltimore. The hospital, which opened in 1889, was one of the first to provide care to anyone, regardless of sex, age, or race.

Characteristics Values
Full Name Johns Hopkins
Date of Birth May 19, 1795
Place of Birth Anne Arundel County, Maryland, US
Occupation Merchant, Banker, Financier, Civic Leader, Philanthropist
Legacy Johns Hopkins Hospital, Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins Carey Business School, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins Orphan Asylum
Notable Achievements One of the first to use radium to treat cancer, Founding institutions that promoted racial equality and inclusion
Death December 24, 1873

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Johns Hopkins' philanthropy

Johns Hopkins was a philanthropist for most of his life. His philanthropic giving increased significantly after the Civil War. His concern for the poor and newly freed slave populations drove him to create free medical facilities, orphanages, asylums, and schools to help alleviate the impoverished conditions for all, regardless of race, sex, age, or religion, but especially focused on the young.

In his will, Johns Hopkins left an estate of approximately $7 million (US$173.84 million in 2022) to be used to found three institutions that would bear his name: Johns Hopkins University, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, and Johns Hopkins Colored Orphan Asylum. At the time, this was the largest philanthropic bequest in the history of the United States. Hopkins' bequests founded numerous institutions bearing his name, including the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins Carey Business School, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.

Johns Hopkins University was founded in 1876, followed by the Johns Hopkins Hospital and Johns Hopkins School of Nursing in 1889. The university was one of the first medical schools to admit women in 1893. The decision to begin coeducation was a result of a shortage of funds, as the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad stock that was supposed to cover costs was used up in building the hospital. Four of the original trustees' daughters offered to raise the money needed to open the school, but only if the school agreed to admit qualified women.

The Johns Hopkins Orphan Asylum opened in 1875 with 24 boys and girls. It was later changed to serve as an orphanage and training school for Black female orphans as domestic workers and as an orthopedic convalescent home and school for "colored crippled" children and orphans. The asylum was closed in 1924, nearly 50 years after it opened.

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His will and bequests

Johns Hopkins was a philanthropist and abolitionist who, in his will, left large endowments to found Johns Hopkins University and Johns Hopkins Hospital. In 1870, six years before his death, he organised his bequests, setting aside $7 million (around $149 million in 2023) for the incorporation of a free hospital, an orphanage for Black children, and a university in Baltimore. Hopkins' bequests founded numerous institutions bearing his name, including Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins Carey Business School, and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Hopkins was a Baltimore merchant and banker who left an estate of approximately $7 million when he died in 1873. In his will, he asked that his fortune be used to found three institutions that would bear his name: Johns Hopkins University, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, and Johns Hopkins Colored Orphan Asylum. At the time, it was the largest philanthropic bequest in the history of the United States.

Hopkins was a philanthropist for most of his life, and his giving increased significantly after the Civil War. He was concerned about the poor and newly freed slave populations and wanted to create free medical facilities, orphanages, asylums, and schools to help alleviate impoverished conditions for all, regardless of race, sex, age, or religion, with a particular focus on the young.

In his explanatory letter to his trustees, Hopkins wrote:

> It is my wish that the plan…shall provide for a hospital, which shall, in construction and arrangement, compare favourably with any institution of like character in this country or in Europe… The indigent sick of this city and its environs, without regard to sex, age, or colour, who may require surgical or medical treatment, and who can be received into the hospital without peril to the other inmates, and the poor of this city and state, of all races, who are stricken down by any casualty, shall be received into the hospital, without charge.…

The Johns Hopkins Orphan Asylum opened in 1875 with 24 boys and girls. It later changed to serve as an orphanage and training school for Black female orphans, principally as domestic workers, and as an orthopaedic convalescent home and school for "coloured crippled" children and orphans. The asylum closed in 1924, nearly 50 years after it opened.

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The university and other institutions

Johns Hopkins University was founded in 1876, with the inauguration of its first president, Daniel Coit Gilman. The university opened its doors to students in the same year. The original academic building on the Homewood campus, Gilman Hall, is named in honour of its first president.

Gilman guided the opening of the university and other institutions, including the university press, the hospital, and the schools of nursing and medicine. The university's mission, as described by Gilman in his inaugural address, was "to educate its students and cultivate their capacity for lifelong learning, to foster independent and original research, and to bring the benefits of discovery to the world".

Johns Hopkins School of Nursing was founded in 1889, and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine was founded in 1893. The medical school was one of the first to admit women on the same basis as men. Four of the original trustees' daughters offered to raise the money needed to open the school, but only if the school agreed to admit qualified women.

Johns Hopkins was a philanthropist for most of his life. He had no wife or children and looked for ways to use his wealth to benefit others. He was particularly concerned for the poor and newly freed slave populations, and this drove him to create free medical facilities, orphanages, asylums, and schools to help alleviate the impoverished conditions for all, regardless of race, sex, age, or religion.

In his will, Johns Hopkins asked that his fortune be used to found three institutions that would bear his name: Johns Hopkins University, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, and Johns Hopkins Colored Orphan Asylum.

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The hospital's founding and mission

Johns Hopkins Hospital was founded by and named after philanthropist Johns Hopkins, a Baltimore merchant and banker. In his will, Hopkins left $7 million (approximately $149 million in 2023) to build a free hospital, affiliated medical and nursing colleges, an orphanage for Black children, and a university in Baltimore.

Hopkins was born in 1795 and grew up in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. He moved to Baltimore at age 17 to work with his uncle, a wholesale grocer. He eventually went into business with his brothers and became a successful merchant and investor. Despite his wealth, Hopkins had no wife or children to inherit his money. As a philanthropist, he sought to use his fortune to benefit others. He was especially concerned for the poor and newly freed slave populations, driving him to create free medical facilities, orphanages, asylums, and schools accessible to all, regardless of race, sex, age, or religion.

In 1870, six years before his death, Hopkins organized two corporations, one for a hospital and one for a university, and his will divided his bequest evenly between them. In addition, he endowed an orphanage for Black children, which opened in 1875 with 24 boys and girls. The Johns Hopkins Hospital and Johns Hopkins School of Nursing were founded in 1889, and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine opened in 1893. The university was one of the first medical schools to admit women, thanks to the financial support of four of the original trustees' daughters, who offered funding on the condition that qualified women be admitted.

The hospital's founding mission, as outlined in Hopkins' explanatory letter to his trustees, was to provide care for the indigent sick and poor of Baltimore, regardless of sex, age, or color, and to offer medical treatment without charge. This vision of an inclusive hospital for everyone laid the foundation for a new era in medical education and patient care.

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Johns Hopkins' early life

Johns Hopkins was born on May 19, 1795, on a plantation to a family of tobacco planters. He was the son of Quakers and had 10 siblings. At the age of 12, he quit school to work in the family fields. In 1812, at 17, Hopkins left the plantation to work for his uncle, Gerard T. Hopkins, a Baltimore wholesale grocer and merchant. While living with his uncle's family, Johns fell in love with his cousin, Elizabeth. However, due to the Quaker taboo against first-cousin marriages, neither Johns nor Elizabeth married. After seven years with his uncle, Hopkins went into business with Benjamin Moore, a fellow Quaker. However, their partnership dissolved due to Moore's allegations of Hopkins' focus on capital accumulation. Subsequently, Hopkins partnered with his brothers and established Hopkins & Brothers Wholesalers in 1819.

Hopkins settled in Baltimore, Maryland, where he lived for most of his adult life. He became a successful merchant and investor, with his business ventures including tobacco wholesale and the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, where he eventually became a finance director. He also served as the president of the Merchants' National Bank in Baltimore. Hopkins was a Quaker and a staunch supporter of Abraham Lincoln and the Union, often hosting Union strategists in his Maryland residence.

Hopkins was a philanthropist, driven by a concern for the poor and newly freed slave populations. He made significant contributions to public buildings, housing, free libraries, schools, orphanages, and foundations in Baltimore. He also supported the abolitionist cause, although new research has revealed complexities in the Hopkins family's relationship with slavery. Hopkins' legacy includes the founding of Johns Hopkins University and Johns Hopkins Hospital, with his will bequeathing large endowments to these institutions. The university opened its doors in 1876, followed by the hospital in 1889, and both have become renowned institutions bearing his name.

Frequently asked questions

Johns Hopkins Hospital was named after Johns Hopkins, a philanthropist and millionaire merchant who left \$7 million in his will to establish a hospital and university.

Johns Hopkins was a philanthropist for most of his life, and as he had no wife or children, he wanted to use his wealth to benefit others. He wanted to build an inclusive hospital that would provide care to anyone, regardless of sex, age, or race.

In addition to Johns Hopkins Hospital, Johns Hopkins University, the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, and the Johns Hopkins Colored Orphan Asylum were founded as a result of his bequest.

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