Leonidas Kirby (1850–1926)

Leonidas Kirby was the first physician and surgeon in Harrison (Boone County). He was once president of the Arkansas State Medical Society and was a founder of the Boone County Medical Society. He was also a lifelong member of the Masons and was elected as Most Worshipful Grand Master of Arkansas in 1921.

Leonidas Kirby was born on December 1, 1850, in Greene County, Missouri, to Benjamin F. (B. F.) Kirby and Serena Bender Kirby. Leonidas’s father, his maternal grandfather Samuel Bender, and his maternal uncle Ormal C. Bender were all trained physicians. His paternal grandfather, Tully C. Kirby, was a farmer and a country doctor. Kirby’s family moved to Dadeville in Dade County, Missouri, where his father practiced medicine. Although sources conflict as to the year, Kirby’s father died around 1857.

After her husband’s death, his mother took charge of the family. Kirby grew up on a farm and attended common schools in Dade County until 1867, although his early education was interrupted by the Civil War. Goodspeed’s history and Kirby’s obituary in the Harrison Times state that he lived with his stepfather until 1867; however, this is incorrect as his mother did not remarry until 1870.

In 1867, Kirby moved to Greenfield, Missouri, to attend school and live with his maternal grandfather, who died the following year.

Seventeen-year-old Kirby then moved to Mound City, Kansas. He lived with his uncle Dr. Ormal C. Bender and attended school. Kirby worked in a drugstore and soon took charge of it. He began to study medicine, trained by his uncle. In November 1869, his uncle moved to Pleasanton, Kansas, where he had established a drugstore. Kirby may have moved with him and helped him run it. By the 1870 census, Kirby was living in Greenfield, Missouri, with another maternal uncle, livery stable keeper Oscar H. Bender, and working as a clerk in a drugstore.

In April 1871, Kirby moved to Harrison, intending to operate a drugstore. Although he had studied medicine while working with his uncle, he did not believe he was ready to practice. He came to town carrying $500 in drugs and a barrel of whiskey in a wagon. In addition to his drugstore, Kirby opened a saloon, but closed it after witnessing the devastating effects of alcohol on a local family.

From late 1871 to 1872, Boone County suffered a serious diphtheria epidemic coupled with a shortage of doctors. Kirby used what skills he had to aid the sick. According to Boone County historian Ralph Rea, Kirby was appointed postmaster on March 4, 1872, and served until December 17, 1872.

On November 23, 1873, Kirby married Rhoda V. Crump in Harrison. The couple had one daughter and six sons, one of whom died in infancy.

Kirby must have realized that his skills were limited, because he moved to St. Louis, Missouri, to attend medical school. He received his medical degree in 1876, perhaps graduating quickly due to his already extensive pharmaceutical knowledge. After graduation, he returned to Harrison. To maintain his professional knowledge, he took a post graduate course in 1879 and later took short courses.

Until 1903, a person was not required to obtain formal medical education to receive a medical license in Arkansas. However, awareness of the necessity for doctors to be competent arose much earlier. Kirby was involved with the formation of the Boone County Medical Society, helping to determine if others applying for licensure within the county were eligible.

Kirby served as president of the Arkansas State Medical Society around 1904. He was one of the first doctors to recommend against the use of alcohol as a medical treatment. He was also a member of the State Board of Health.

To see his patients, Kirby walked, rode his horse, or drove in a buggy. In his later years, he traveled by automobile. He once successfully performed an emergency tracheotomy with his pocketknife on a child who was choking on a kernel of corn. He also compounded his own prescriptions.

In 1913, he built the Kirby building on the northeast corner of the Harrison square. It was the largest office and business building in Harrison at that time and housed the offices of the Missouri and North Arkansas Railroad in its second story.

Kirby was raised to Master Mason on May 10, 1873, in Boone Lodge No. 314. He served three times as Worshipful Master of the lodge and also served and held offices in other appendant bodies of Masonry. After having gone through the line of officers of the Grand Lodge of Arkansas, Kirby was elected as Most Worshipful Grand Master of Free and Accepted Masons of Arkansas on November 16, 1921. While he held this office, the cornerstone of the Albert Pike Memorial Temple in Little Rock (Pulaski County) was laid on May 11, 1922.

Kirby was a Republican and a charter member of the First Christian Church in Harrison. He was a member of the local school board for more than twenty years and served as its chairman at least once.

Kirby died in Harrison on August 26, 1926, and is buried in Harrison’s Rose Hill Cemetery. Three of his sons (Frankling, Henry, and Alexander) became physicians, while another (Leander) became a pharmacist.

For additional information:
“Country Doctor Was Beloved Character.” Arkansas Gazette, March 22, 1931, p. 29.

“Died.” Greenfield Vedette and the Date County Advocate [Greenfield Missouri]. January 23, 1868, p. 3.

“Dr. Leonidas Kirby.” Arkansas Country Doctor Museum. https://www.drmuseum.net/dr-leonidas-kirby/ (accessed October 2, 2024).

“Dr. Leonidas Kirby Dies at Harrison.” Berryville Star Progress, August 26, 1926, p. 1.

“Dr. L. Kirby Passes Away.” Harrison Times. August 27, 1926, p. 7.

Herndon, D. T. Centennial History of Arkansas, Volume III. Chicago-Little Rock: S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1922, pp. 484–485.

Hempstead, Fay. Historical Review of Arkansas, Volume III. Chicago, IL: Lewis Publishing Company, 1911, pp. 1598–1600.

“In Memoriam of Dr. Leonidas Kirby.” Harrison Times, September 17, 1926, p. 7.

Kirby Family Papers (MC 1030). Special Collections. University of Arkansas Libraries, Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Logan, Roger V., Jr. History of Boone County, Arkansas. Paducah, KY: Turner Publishing Company, 1998.

Rea, Ralph R. Boone County and Its People. Van Buren, AR: Press-Argus, 1955.

A Reminiscent History of the Ozark Region. Chicago, IL: Goodspeed Brothers, 1894, pp. 317–318.

“Settle Up.” Border Sentinel [Mound City, Kansas]. October 29, 1869, p. 3.

Sharp, Dorothy. 1876–A Century of Faith–1976. Harrison, AR: Times Publishing Co., Inc., 1976.

Washington University School of Medicine, Oral History Project. Transcript: Henry V. Kirby, 1983. https://beckerexhibits.wustl.edu/oral/transcripts/kirby.html (accessed October 2, 2024).

Nita Gould
Tulsa, Oklahoma