Dr. H.L. Hunter: Hamilton’s First Black Doctor and Author
Dr. Herman Leslie Hunter served the city of Hamilton as its first Black physician for 25 years, maintaining an active medical practice alongside community leadership before later becoming a published fiction author. Born on November 14, 1891, in Union City, Tennessee, Hunter built a legacy bridging clinical care, military service, and public advocacy.
Hunter’s parents, Joseph and Ellen Hunter, were born in Tennessee around 1859 and 1860, likely into enslavement before gaining freedom early in their childhoods. Between 1900 and 1910, the family relocated to Bath Township, Ohio, near Yellow Springs, where his father purchased a farm. Hunter spent his youth working on the family farm until leaving for medical training in 1917 or 1918.
- Dr. Herman Leslie Hunter practiced medicine in Hamilton for a quarter-century, beginning in August 1921 as the city’s first Black doctor.
- His medical training coincided with the United States’ entry into World War I, during which he served in the Medical Reserve Corps, and the subsequent Spanish Flu pandemic.
- Beyond his medical practice at Mercy Hospital and local neighborhood offices, Hunter was a published fiction writer, church member, and American Legion post commander.
Medical Training During War and Pandemic
Over a four-year period, records simultaneously list Hunter as attending Nashville University while living in Greene County and working as a hospital operator, though the exact nature of his schooling remains partially unverified, with indications he may have attended an institution that later became part of Vanderbilt University. His education took place amid immense national demand for medical personnel as the nation entered the Great War and confronted the Spanish Flu pandemic. As a student, Hunter served in the Medical Reserve Corps, placing him in direct contact with influenza victims.
Upon completing his studies, Hunter arrived in August 1921 in Hamilton, where the Hamilton Evening Journal welcomed him in its “In Colored Circles” column. Because of unofficial segregation and redlining during the Great Depression, Black families in Hamilton were largely restricted to a single area in the lower Second Ward. Hunter established his first office at the Hamilton Community Home on 316 Dayton St. before relocating to 448 S. Front St., living and practicing within the neighborhood where he treated predominantly Black patients.
Community Leadership and Family Life
Alongside his medical practice, Hunter integrated into civic life by joining the Payne Chapel A.M.E. Church and serving as a charter member of Lewis-Whitaker Post No. 520 of the American Legion, becoming post commander in December 1921. On July 21, 1922, he married Bertie Odette Allen in Houston, Texas, and brought her to Hamilton. The couple raised four children: Wanda Lee, Gloria Ann, Rosemary, and Herman L. Hunter Jr., born between 1925 and 1935. Odette Hunter participated in local social organizations and ran Sunday school at Payne Chapel.
Medical Practice and Mercy Hospital Operations
Local archives document numerous letters of thanks from families Hunter assisted during his 25 years in Hamilton. In an era preceding modern paramedicine, doctors frequently responded directly to acute emergencies. Records show Hunter responding to varied crisis calls, including successfully saving a woman who had ingested poison, unsuccessfully attempting to resuscitate a child who drowned, and pronouncing a patient dead after the individual consumed tainted homemade alcohol known as “canned heat.”
Hunter contributed to clinical advancement by performing autopsies—including one on a murder victim—presenting medical cases to the Mercy Hospital staff, and conducting public health talks. He maintained active hospital privileges at Mercy Hospital, where he visited patients, performed surgeries, and delivered the first baby of 1943 just ten seconds after midnight. In December 1927, his younger brother, Lester L. Hunter, joined him in Hamilton, opening a dental practice in the same building that housed the medical office.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for educational and scientific communication purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider regarding any medical condition, diagnosis, or treatment plan.