- William Henry Letterman
William Henry Letterman (L)
and Charles Page Thomas Moore (R)Date of Birth: 1832 Place of Birth: Canonsburg, Pennsylvania Date of Death: May 23 ,1881 Place of Death: Duffau, Texas Occupation: Physician Remarks: Co-founder ofPhi Kappa Psi
Brother ofJonathan K. Letterman William Henry Letterman was born in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. (c. 1832 - May 23, 1881) He was the co-founder of the
Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity in 1852 atJefferson College inCanonsburg, Pennsylvania .Education
William graduated from Jefferson College (now
Washington and Jefferson College ) and then went on to receive his M.D fromJefferson Medical College in 1857(?) [ Date based on Jonathan's graduation date + eight years (their age difference)]Family
His father was the physician to the town of Canonsburg and died early in William's life.
He is the younger brother of
Jonathan K. Letterman who is know as the Father of Battlefield Medicine. His system enabled thousands of wounded men to be recovered and treated during theAmerican Civil War .Phi Kappa Psi
William and his mother were living just a few houses away from Jefferson College. In the winter of 1850-1851, a
typhoid fever epidemic broke out in the area and William and his friend,Charles Page Thomas Moore , spent long nights caring for a sick friend. Letterman and Moore grew to appreciate their service, and decided to form an organization that would ensconce these ideals. On the night of February 19, 1852, the brotherhood ofPhi Kappa Psi was born.Civil War
William's service in the Civil War is not known for certain. Although his brother Jonathan and Charles Moore served in the Union army, where or even if William served has not been determined.
Freemason
On January 17, 1868, William received his
Freemasons (Masons) apprentice degree from [http://www.mdmasons.org/gl/No.13/index.html Concordia Lodge #13] inBaltimore, Maryland . He also helped to organize the Masonic Lodge, in Duffau, Texas.Life and Death
In the late fall of 1875, William Henry Letterman went to
Prairie Home , Missouri, because of continued poor health and remained there for about three years. Then he decided the climate inTexas would be advantageous, so in the spring of 1878 he made a two months tour to that state.In November, 1878, with his wife and baby daughter, Laura, he left Missouri for
Dallas, Texas , and then went toStephenville, Texas by stage coach. He stopped at theTexas Hotel and the following day he hired a carriage and arrived at Duffau, Erath County, that afternoon.At Duffau there were some
mineral wells , and he had been told that the railroad would be built through Duffau, westward. However, the railroad was constructed through Hico and Stephenville. When he went to Texas, he carried letters of introduction signed by many prominent men of the East.He helped organize a county medical association and also a district medical association in Stephenville, and he was elected the first president. He was a member of the
Northwest Texas Medical and Surgical Society . He was examined and given a certificate to practice by M. S. Crow, M.D., chairman of the board of medical examiners,Erath County, Texas , and this was recorded on the twenty-seventh of November, 1878, at the office in Stephenville by W. H. Fooshea.His health grew worse, and he was advised to make a trip to the Gulf. In a covered wagon, with his brother Ritchie as driver and with his wife and two children riding nearby in a buggy, he set out from Duffau on May 15, 1881. Because he grew worse daily, all were compelled to return within a week. Before he turned back, he stayed for a short while at the home of a friend in what is now downtown Austin. The historical site is presently part of 6th street's bar district. While the upstairs loft where Letterman spent his last days has held many merchants during the last century, it is currently a bar named Peckerheads. A small shrine in Letterman's honor exists there today. He died on May 23, 1881, and was buried in the cemetery at Duffau.
The Revered Mrs. Hugart conducted services at the church, and Mr. Franks conducted the Masonic service. Mrs. Letterman sold a riding pony, which her husband had given her, and had a monument placed at his grave. This monument still stands. Shortly after Dr. Letterman’s death, his widow and children returned to the home of Mrs. Letterman’s father, Professor Slaughter, in Missouri.
The last lines Dr. Letterman wrote were these:
"Dear Sir (Prof. Slaughter)"
"Today I am used up right sharp -- does not express my case too strong. At all events after careful advice, I leave tomorrow, closing the housing and go direct to the Gulf at the mouth of Rio Grande del Norte. This is 400 miles from here. We go through Lampas, thence to Austin, then to the mouth of River, then we rest for 2 or 3 weeks rolling in salt water, then we make a bee line for San Antonio, Laredo, and return home if well. If not well, keep agoing. I will close. Your next, if this is answered, you will direct to Austin. Good-by."
"Love to all," "W. H. Letterman" [The above is taken from his biography that appears in the
Centennial History of the Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity , Vol. 1, pages 499-500.)]Notes and references
External links
* [http://www.texastechphipsi.org/history.htm Partial biography on the Texas Beta chapter's website]
* [http://www.phikappapsi.com Phi Kappa Psi]
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