Hamilton E. Holmes

Hamilton E. Holmes
Born	(1941-07-08)8 July 1941 Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Died	Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Fields	Orthopedics
Institutions	Emory University School of Medicine
Alma mater	University of Georgia Emory University School of Medicine

Hamilton E. Holmes (8 July 1941 – 26 October 1995) was an American orthopedic physician. He and Charlayne Hunter-Gault were the first two African-American students admitted to the University of Georgia. Additionally, Holmes was the first African-American student to attend the Emory University School of Medicine, where he earned his M.D. in 1967, later becoming a professor of orthopedics and associate dean at the school.

Holmes was a member of Phi Beta Kappa fraternity and Phi Kappa Phi Honors fraternity.

Holmes died in 1995 of heart failure in Atlanta, Georgia.

Legacy

The Atlanta native has several landmarks named in his honor including the Hamilton E. Holmes Elementary School in East Point, Georgia; Hamilton E. Holmes Drive (Highway 280) in Fulton County, Georgia; and the H.E. Holmes MARTA station in Atlanta. The first endowed professorship at the University of Georgia named for an African-American was created in his name on 11 November 1999. The University of Georgia Academic Building is named for him as well, along with Charlayne Hunter-Gault, as it is called the Holmes/Hunter Academic Building, as of 2001. Also in 2012, Emory University has dedicated a new dorm in his honor, called Hamilton Holmes Hall.

See also

• African-American firsts