Description
William M. Watts (1885-1980) was born on February 15, 1885 in Lodi, Texas to Perry and Jane Watts. After earning a medical
degree from Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee, Watts practiced medicine at hospitals in Houston, Texas and Fresno,
California before opening the first hospital for African Americans in Oakland, California in 1926 at 3437 Harlan Street in
North Oakland. The William M. Watts papers include photographs, patient and account ledger, license applications, newspapers
clippings, funeral program, and one edition of the
Jackson County Medical Journal.
Background
William M. Watts (1885-1980) was born on February 15, 1885 in Lodi, Texas to Perry and Jane Watts. After earning a medical
degree from Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee, Watts practiced medicine at hospitals in Houston, Texas and Fresno,
California before opening the first hospital for African Americans in Oakland, California in 1926 at 3437 Harlan Street in
North Oakland. While in Oakland, Watts contributed to Western American, a local African American newspaper, the medical advice
column “How to Keep Well.” The hospital closed due to financial troubles in 1927, and Watts returned to Marshall, Texas to
operate the Sheppard-Watts Hospital following the death of his brother. Watts continued to practice as a physician until his
retirement in the late 1960s.
Extent
.5 linear feet
(2 boxes)
Restrictions
Permission to publish from the William M. Watts Papers must be obtained from the African American Museum and Library at Oakland.
Availability
No access restrictions. Collection is open to the public.