Dr. Elisha Cullen Dick
Dr. Elisha Cullen Dick, one of the leading men of early Alexandria, Virginia, was born on March 15th, 1762, near Marcus Hook, PA. His parents were Major Archibald Dick, Deputy Quartermaster General in the Revolutionary Army in 1779, and May Bernard Dick.
The classically-educated young Elisha, aspiring to become a doctor, served medical apprenticeships with two prominent men: Dr. Benjamin Rush, father of American medicine and first American psychiatrist, and Dr. William Shippen, the first Surgeon General of the Continental Army. After completing two degrees at the Medical College of the University of Pennsylvania, hoping to establish his first practice, he set out for Charleston, South Carolina, stopping to visit kin in Alexandria, VA.
At his kin’s suggestion, the young doctor presented his recommendations to leading Alexandrians General George Washington, Colonel Fitzgerald, and Henry Lyles. The three, with a board of prominent townsmen, urged him to set up his practice in Alexandria, as the town had lost one of its doctors through death. Dr. Dick agreed, and soon became one of Alexandria’s leading citizens.
Dr. Dick was one of the founders and the first Worshipful Master of the Masonic Lodge of which George Washington was a member and, later, Master. In 1793, Dr. Dick presided with President Washington in laying the southeast cornerstone of the Capitol. A year later, Dr. Dick served as a cavalry officer in the quelling of the Whiskey Rebellion in Pennsylvania. In public office, he served as superintendent of quarantine during the yellow fever epidemic of 1795. In 1804, he was elected Mayor of Alexandria.
Dr, Dick served as a medical consultant during Washington's last illness, and advised against the then-accepted practice of bleeding patients that was used in Washington’s treatment. Dr. Dick was present at his passing, and it was he who carried out the tradition of stopping the hands of Washington’s bedroom clock at the moment of his death. He presided at Washington’s Masonic Funeral, delivering an eloquent and memorable address.
Dr. Dick married Hannah Harmon, and the couple had two children, Archibald and Julia. Later in life, Dr. Dick united with the Friends Meeting (Quakers), the religion of his wife. Dr. and Mrs. Dick retired to a small farm they owned in Fairfax County near Hollin Hall, where Dr. Dick died on September 22, 1825.
