Dr. Elizur Deming: An Abolitionist Who Wasn't Afraid to Take a Stand

Dr. Elizur Deming was a 19th century Lafayette physician who made history as a renowned doctor and staunch abolitionist.  He and his wife, Hester, moved to Lafayette in 1834.  Deming, a local physician would travel to the Indiana Medical College of LaPorte and stay for weeks at a time where he worked as a professor.  Deming was lured into politics in 1840 when William Henry Harrison, hero of the 1811 Battle of Tippecanoe, ran for U.S. President with John Tyler of Virginia as his running mate.  It was written that Deming emerged as a pro-Harrison orator "like a meteor in the sky, to the surprise of everyone."  In 1841, he won election to the Indiana House of Representatives; however, his strong anti-slavery stance caused some controversy within the Whig Party. His convictions may have cost him a non-political appointment as president of the University of Michigan because he would not compromise his abhorrence of slavery.

In 1843, the Free Soil Party, headed by Martin Van Buren, nominated Deming for Indiana Governor.  Democrat James Whitcomb won the office with 60,784 votes while Deming came in last and only drew 1,683, polling 418 from Fort Wayne and only 39 in Tippecanoe County.  Deming tried again in 1845 as a third-party candidate for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, receiving a mere 91 votes, of which 75 came from Tippecanoe County.  This would be his last effort for a political office.

Having helped found St. John's Episcopal Church in the 1830s, Deming joined the efforts of medical colleagues in forming Lafayette's first medical society.  In the summer of 1849 when a cholera epidemic broke out, Dr. Deming and some of his colleagues performed heroic public service in treating victims of the disease.

After the cholera epidemic subsided, Dr. Deming turned his attention to teaching again.  In 1848, after working in New York City, William Mayo had moved to Lafayette and became a medical student.  Mayo received his M.D. degree under Deming's tutelage and by 1851 was working as his medical partner in Lafayette. Mayo would later start what is known as the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.  

During the winter of 1854-55, Deming became trapped with other passengers on an unheated passenger car on a snowbound train heading for Lafayette.  Deming gave up his overcoat to a young mother and her baby.  This heroic act may have caused him to get pneumonia.  He later died on February 22, 1855.

Source:  Journal & Courier (Lafayette, Indiana)  12 Nov 1995

Dr. Deming: The Famous Speech that Changed the Course of History

Runaway slaves often took great risks when seeking freedom, because they sometimes had to ask for help from strangers during their travels. Varying opinions on race made it difficult for fugitives to navigate their paths to freedom.  There were individuals who opposed slavery but did not believe African Americans were equal.  In 1841, Dr. Deming and Lewis Falley, local businessmen, were reported to be the only citizens in Lafayette, Indiana, who dared to openly denounce the institution of slavery.  It was estimated that nine-tenths of Lafayette's residents were in favor of slavery, so abolition wasn't a popular viewpoint.  Within a few years other prominent citizens found the courage to join in the Abolitionist cause.  

One harrowing ordeal involved an angry mob of boatmen and roughians who were determined to burn down the homes of Elizur Deming and Lewis Falley for their involvement in the Abolitionist cause.  The mob's first stop was at the home of Dr. Deming, located on Sixth Street, across from what is now the Trinity United Methodist Church.  Sheriff John Michaels heard of the plan and banded together a local militia called The Lafayette Blues.  As the sheriff and his band of men stood by, Dr. Deming made an impassioned and eloquent speech and the crowd dispersed.  

From Find-A-Grave: "Age 56, Professor St. Louis Medical College.

He came to Lafayette in 1833. He was a doctor and concerned with teaching medicine.  Dr. William Mayo was his apprentice. Dr. Deming was also very active in the Masons, and a State Grand Master for four years. 1847-51.
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Elizur H. Deming
Elizur H. Deming arrived in Lafayette from Ohio. He is listed in Sanford Cox (Old Settlers) as an early physician of Lafayette. There is a sketch of him in the 1878 Atlas (p. 41). He was a member of the first county medical society from 1847-48. He placed an ad in an early Lafayette paper listing himself as Physician and Surgeon with an office on the east side of Mississippi Street, near the Episcopal Church. Dr. Deming trained several local physicians, including W W Mayo, of Mayo Clinic. In 1850, he was a professor of theory and practice at the Indiana Medical College in Lafayette ("Did You Know That" Lafayette Journal and Courier 2 July 1927). Sanford Cox reports that he served one term in the Indiana Legislature and afterward he served as Chair of Theory and Practice at the Medical University of Missouri, at St. Louis."

Elizur Deming's Connection to Famous Actress

GenealogyMagazine.com published an interesting article in 2017, entitled, "Beverly Hillbillies' Actress Descended from Leader in Underground Railroad."   That actress was Harriett MacGibbon, who played Mrs. Drysdale in the sitcom, and her abolitionist great-grandfather was Dr. Elizur Deming, a prominent Lafayette physician and abolitionist.