Henry Ebenezer Handerson, M.D., (1837-1918) was a medical historian, writer, and professor who was a founder and president of the CMLA. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio where he spent much of his early years before attending boarding school and Hobart College in New York. For most of his childhood, Handerson struggled with frequent illness, but maintained his resolve in pursuing medicine after his time as a volunteer for the Stafford Guards in the American Civil War. He studied medicine at the College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York, where he became an M.D. in 1867. Handerson then practiced medicine in New York City until 1885, when he returned to Cleveland. During his time in Cleveland, he pursued his passion for medical history and writing, publishing several meticulous papers on the medical history, sanitation, and diseases of the city. In 1888, he met and married Clara Corlett, who he raised two children with. Towards the end of his career, Handerson served as the professor of hygiene and sanitary science at the University of Wooster from 1894 to 1896, and at the Cleveland College of Physicians and Surgeons from 1896 to 1907. During this time, he also served as president of the CMLA from 1896-1902 after helping found the organization, and continued to play an essential role in its operations for the rest of his life.
