Francis Walker Gilmer
Francis Walker Gilmer was a prominent intellectual from Virginia during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. He graduated from William and Mary College in 1810 and made significant contributions to literature and law, with notable works such as "Reports of Cases Decided in Court of Appeals of Virginia" and "Sketches, Essays, and Translations." Gilmer became a key correspondent for former U.S. President Thomas Jefferson, engaging in numerous discussions about political and ethical matters. In 1824, Jefferson tasked Gilmer with recruiting professors for his newly established university, leading to the hiring of several notable scholars, including Robley Dunglison, who controversially became the first full-time medical professor despite not being American. This decision later proved beneficial for the university's medical practices. Gilmer's impact on education and literature during this period marks him as an important figure in the antebellum South. He passed away shortly after fulfilling his recruitment role for Jefferson.
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Francis Walker Gilmer
- Born: October 9, 1790
- Birthplace: Virginia
- Died: February 25, 1826
Biography
Francis Walker Gilmer grew up in the late eighteenth century in Virginia. He graduated from William and Mary College in 1810. Gilmer showed great promise as one of Virginia’s antebellum intellectuals. Some of his most-important literary works included Reports of Cases Decided in Court of Appeals of Virginia (1821) and Sketches, Essays, and Translations (1828), which showed his audience that he was talented in several literary and artistic forms.
Gilmer became an important correspondent to former U.S. President Thomas Jefferson after 1812. Jefferson wrote numerous letters to Gilmer regarding all manner of political and ethical issues. Around 1824, Jefferson asked Gilmer to find several professors in England for Jefferson’s new university. Gilmer recruited several scholars, including George Long, George Blaetterman, Thomas Hewett Key, Charles Bonnycastle, and Robley Dunglison to join the university as professors.
The new medical professor was not supposed to be a foreigner, but Gilmer had hired Dunglison before he received the letter from Jefferson explaining that stipulation. The fact that Dunglison was to be the medical professor and was not American was very controversial. The contract that Gilmer offered to Dunglison began the first American full-time medical professorship. Later, Gilmer’s decision was seen as a great one that improved the overall medical practices of the university. Gilmer died shortly after completing his university recruitment for Jefferson in the nineteenth century.