About Dr. Hamilton E. Holmes
The Office of the Dean and the Office of Multicultural Affairs for Emory University School of Medicine annually host a lecture in honor of Dr. Hamilton E. Holmes, the first African American to graduate from Emory School of Medicine.
A pioneer, physician, scholar, family man and friend! These words aptly describe Dr. Hamilton E. Holmes, known by many simply as “Hamp”. His life and career began in his hometown Atlanta, GA. Following a year of enrollment at Morehouse College, Dr. Holmes attended the University of Georgia. He and Charlayne Hunter-Gault were the first two African-American students to enroll and integrate the university amid taunts, threats, and police escorts. He endured in pursuit of becoming a physician.
Meanwhile, Emory University Faculty and Administration pursued their own path to desegregation through the Georgia Supreme Court. After winning the case Emory vs. Nash, 1962, the University was able to offer admission to Hamilton E. Holmes without incident.
Dr. Holmes received his medical degree from Emory in 1967. At the time of his death, Dr. Holmes was an orthopedic surgeon, Associate Dean at Emory University School of Medicine, and served as chairman of the orthopedic unit at Grady Memorial Hospital.
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