Claudia Potter, M.D.

Historical marker location:

1601 N. Main St., Temple, Texas

( at burial site in Hillcrest Cemetery)

Marker installed: 1997

(February 3, 1881-February 2, 1970) Born in Denton County, Claudia Potter was one of eight children of William T. C. and Laura Smith Potter. A graduate of the University of Texas Medical Branch in 1904, Dr. Potter was the first woman doctor at Scott and White Hospital, and was a pioneering physician in the medical specialty of anesthesiology. Dr. Potter excelled at her career and was widely respected. After 41 years at Scott and White, she retired in 1947.

Recorded - 1997.

hospitals women women's history topics medical topics and health professionals

Texas has been a major oil-producing state for over a century. The first big oil discovery in Texas was the Spindletop field near Beaumont in 1901, which set off a massive oil boom that transformed the state's economy and made Texas one of the wealthiest states in the country.