Tag Archives: Harry R. Hummer

Harry R. Hummer’s Family

Dr. Harry Reid Hummer was born in Washington, DC in 1878. When he and his wife, Norena, arrived in Canton, South Dakota, they had two young sons: Francis, and Harry, Jr. They later had a daughter who died shortly after birth. Hummer’s ambition may have been a good role model for his sons. Harry Jr. attended the Naval Academy and rose to the rank of rear admiral in the U.S. Navy, and Francis became a doctor.

Most of Hummer’s extended family resided in the east. He had a brother (Washington, DC) and sister (Silver Spring, Maryland) who survived him, as did his wife. When Hummer  died  in 1957 at the age of 79, he also had four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

View of Capitol, circa 1853-1878

South Capitol Street, circa 1957, courtesy District Dept. of Transportation Historical Photo Archives

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Power at the Canton Asylum for Insane Indians

O.S. Gifford

O.S. Gifford

Asylum superintendents were powerful by the nature of their jobs (see previous post). The situation at the Canton Asylum for Insane Indians especially consolidated power in its superintendent, simply because there was no other likely person to share it.

When Canton Asylum opened on the last day of 1902, superintendent O.S. Gifford (a non-medical man) used the services of his assistant superintendent, Dr. John Turner. Though Gifford was ultimately responsible for the asylum and could call all the shots–which he sometimes did to the detriment of patients–he realized that some authority had to go to Turner as the only medical person at the facility.

Dr. Harry R. Hummer

Dr. Harry R. Hummer

Harry R. Hummer replaced Gifford in 1908. Dr. Turner resigned after less than a year, fed up with Hummer’s arrogance and dismissive attitude. In August of 1909, Hummer received another assistant superintendent, Dr. L.M. Hardin, from the Leech Lake reservation. Early in 1910, Hardin quit in frustration. After that, Hummer never employed another physician at the asylum.

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