Los Angeles County
Biographies
WILLIAM LeMOYNE
WILLS
WILLS, WM. LeMOYNE, Surgeon, Los Angeles, Cal., was born August 10, 1853, at Washington Penn.(sic), the son of John A. Wills and Charlotte (LeMoyne)Wills. He married Susan Glassell Patton, November 23, 1904, at San Francisco, Cal. His mother’s father, Dr. F. Julius LeMoyne, was a noted physician and surgeon who built the first crematory in the United States, at Washington, Penn.
Dr. Wills was educated at the public schools of Washington, Penn., at the Emerson Institute at Washington, D.C.; Washington and Jefferson College, and at Harvard, being a member of the Class of 1876. He received his degree as Doctor of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Class of 1882. He took post-graduate courses at various times at home and abroad.
After his graduation he served parts of two years as interne at the West Penn Hospital at Pittsburg, Penn. In 1883 he went to Los Angeles, where he has since resided, practicing his profession. He was one of the pioneer faculty of the Medical Department of the University of Southern California, and there taught Anatomy and Surgical Anatomy for eighteen years. He was then Professor of Clinical Surgery for six years.
He was one of the promoters of cremation in the West, a project which was instigated by his father and mother, and was a director and secretary of the Cremation Society of Southern California, established in 1887. This society built the third crematory ever built in the United States. He was later president of the society for ten years, until 1905, when it was merged with the Rosedale Cemetery Company.
Dr. Wills became interested in local Los Angeles politics in 1892, and helped clean up the Second Ward. He was instrumental, in part, in laying the foundation for the present non-partisan school board. He was a member of the Los Angeles City Board of Education from 1893 to 1897. He was chosen a member of the California State Board of Health in 1903, and has been kept on the board continually since that date. His present term will not run out until 1914. He was vice president of the State Board of Health during the term of 1909-11, and was a member of the Sixth District Agricultural Association, 1906-10. He has been especially active in good government work and is a member of the Municipal League and of the good Government Association. He was active in the first campaign for city ownership of the water company in 1894.
He has written papers on a variety of subjects, especially on bone and lung surgery. He read the first original research paper on lung surgery before the California State Medical Society in 1892, which has been often quoted. He has devoted much time to lung surgery since and to fracture work.
Dr. Wills has always been an enthusiastic horseman, a breeder and owner of fine horses.
He was appointed to his position on the Sixth District Agricultural Association by Governor Pardee, and he had much to do with the saving, through litigation, of Agricultural Park to the city of Los Angeles and the State of California.
He was one of the founders of the Los Angeles Driving Club in 1897 and did much to foster the construction of good roads.
He is a member of the L. A. County Medical Assn., California State Medical Society, and of the American Medical Assn. He was president of the L. A. County Medical Assn. in 1889, president of the Southern California District Medical Assn.1890-1891, and president of the California State Medical Society, 1895-96; was one of the founders and chief surgeon, Children’s Hospital, 1902-5. He is a member of the California, University, Sunset City, Harvard, University of Pennsylvania, and College Men’s clubs; City Municipal League and Chamber of Commerce.
Transcribed 11-1-09
Marilyn R. Pankey.
Source: Press
Reference Library, Western Edition Notables of the West, Vol. I, Page 349, International News Service, New York, Chicago, San
Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston, Atlanta.
1913.
© 2009 Marilyn R. Pankey.
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