William Penn Annex East in Philadelphia in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Benjamin Rush, M.D.
1745 - 1813
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, July 25, 2017
1. Benjamin Rush, M.D. Marker
Signer of the Declaration of Independence
Heroic Physician, Teacher, Humanitarian
Physician General of the Continental Army
Physician to the Pennsylvania Hospital
Professor of Physic, University of Pennsylvania
Erected 1965.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • War, US Revolutionary. In addition, it is included in the Signers of the Declaration of Independence series list.
Location. 39° 57.12′ N, 75° 8.864′ W. Marker is in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia County. It is in William Penn Annex East. Marker can be reached from Arch Street, on the left when traveling west. Marker is located in the Christ Church Burial Ground near the east wall. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Philadelphia PA 19106, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Restoration of the Grave of Benjamin Rush, M.D. (a few steps from this marker); Matthew Clarkson (within shouting distance of this marker); Joseph Hewes (within shouting distance of this marker); George Ross (within shouting distance of this marker); Francis Hopkinson
this page online
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, July 25, 2017
2. Benjamin Rush, M.D. Marker
Photographed By Allen C. Browne, July 17, 2018
3. Benjamin Rush, M.D.
This 1812-13 portrait of Benjamin Rush by Thomas Sully hangs in the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC.
“Benjamin Rush was a prominent physician, a social reformer, and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. After studying medicine abroad at the University of Edinburgh, he returned to Philadelphia to work. He advocated bloodletting and purges for many diseases but also moved the profession toward more manageable diagnoses and treatment regimens. Rush's accomplishments were many. He was a pioneer in the study of mental illness; he organized the Pennsylvania antislavery society; he agitated for prison reform and the education of women; and he wrote the first American chemistry text.
Thomas Sully depicted Rush as a thoughtful man of letters. One of Rush's colleagues, who commissioned a version of this portrait, described how Sully ‘appreciate[d] the mind which animates the face of my friend ... I have no doubt that you will be enabled to furnish me with a portrait which will be gratifying to me.’” – National Portrait Gallery
“Benjamin Rush was a prominent physician, a social reformer, and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. After studying medicine abroad at the University of Edinburgh, he returned to Philadelphia to work. He advocated bloodletting and purges for many diseases but also moved the profession toward more manageable diagnoses and treatment regimens. Rush's accomplishments were many. He was a pioneer in the study of mental illness; he organized the Pennsylvania antislavery society; he agitated for prison reform and the education of women; and he wrote the first American chemistry text.
Thomas Sully depicted Rush as a thoughtful man of letters. One of Rush's colleagues, who commissioned a version of this portrait, described how Sully ‘appreciate[d] the mind which animates the face of my friend ... I have no doubt that you will be enabled to furnish me with a portrait which will be gratifying to me.’” – National Portrait Gallery
Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2024. It was originally submitted on August 2, 2017, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 457 times since then and 17 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 2, 2017, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. 3. submitted on July 22, 2018, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland.
