Hoosier Doctor to Speak on President Roosevelt’s 1902 Indianapolis Surgery

The Indiana Historical Society is hosting an exclusive special session during the Theodore Roosevelt Association’s national convention in Indianapolis. The presentation (included with paid admission) will be held at 1:30 p.m. on Oct. 19.

Roosevelt was on an extended speaking tour and sustained an injury to his leg when his carriage was hit by an interurban electric-trolly car in Massachusetts and was thrown 20 feet. By the time Roosevelt reached Indiana, it had become “abscessed.” The surgery was secretly scheduled after the President gave two speeches at Tomlinson Hall and the Columbia Club. On Sept. 23, 1902, Dr. John Oliver led a surgical team that operated on the lower leg of President Theodore Roosevelt at St. Vincent Infirmary in downtown Indianapolis.

The lecture about the surgery will be presented by William Dick, M.D., a retired Indianapolis nephrologist who has published and lectured nationally and internationally on multiple medical subjects. He is also an amateur historian who has written and lectured locally on various subjects including Theodore Roosevelt. His article on the historic Roosevelt surgery appeared in the 2024 summer issue of Traces.

Guests can also visit the William Henry Smith Memorial Library (on the Second Level) from 2 to 4:30 p.m. to see IHS collections items documenting President Theodore Roosevelt’s visits to the Hoosier State.

The event is co-sponsored by the IHS and is part of the TRA National Convention in Indianapolis on Oct. 17-20, 2024.