Samuel A. Elbert

Samuel A. Elbert was an American physician and politician in Indiana. He was the Republican nominee for a state house seat in 1882. He was the first African American to receive a medical degree in the state of Indiana.

Biography

Samuel A. Elbert was born in Maryland to parents who were not enslaved. He worked as a servant, and studied at Oberlin College. He moved to Indianapolis in 1866 and taught at a private school for African Americans supported by the Allen Chapel.
He studied medicine with two doctors and enrolled at Indiana Medical College in 1869. After a dispute he was degreed by the college in 1871, appointed to the state board of health, and established a private medical practice.
He won the Republican nomination for a state house seat over incumbent James Sidney Hinton. He and other Republicans lost in the state’s general election.
He married and had six children. He was a prominent A.M.E. Church member. He died at his home at 512 North Senate Avenue. In 2013 a grave marker was added at Crown Hill Cemetery for Elbert.