Early Life

Rudolph Fisher was born May 9, 1897, in Washington, DC. Fisher was raised in Providence, Rhode Island, by his parents, and with his two siblings.

Education

Fisher was known in college for his public speaking. In his freshman year, he won the Caesar Misch Premium, and in his Sophomore year, he won the Dunn Premium. In 1917, Fisher represented Brown University at a college speaking competition at Harvard, where he won first prize. Fisher graduated from Brown University with his B.A. in English and Biology in 1919. In 1920, he received his M.A. He attended medical school at Howard University, and graduated in 1924.

Career

After graduating, Fisher had a brief internship at Freedman's General Hospital. He then began studying biology and roentgenology at Columbia University. He later married Jane Ryder, a school teacher. In 1926, Fisher and his wife moved to New York City, where they had their only son, Hugh. They nicknamed him "The New Negro" as a tribute to the Harlem Renaissance. In moving to New York, Fisher became a member of the National Research Council at Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons. In 1927, he was able to open up his very own private practice. In his career, Fisher had many literary accomplishments. He was the publisher of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People's Crisis Magazine, as well as many other Black papers. He published "High Yaller" in the Crisis magazine, a short story on color consciousness, for which he was awarded the Spingarn Medal. In 1928, Fisher published "The Walls of Jericho," his first novel. It was a novel that displayed what it was like in Harlem. On December 26, 1934, Fisher passed away of intestinal cancer.

In his life, Rudolph Fisher had many great accomplishments. His multiple published works, and his work as a physician changed the lives of many people.