Elizabeth Gillette: 1876-1965

Born in Granby, Conn., in an ancestral home – she was a lineal descendant of Thomas Rogers, a Mayflower passenger – there was never a time when she didn’t plan to become a surgeon – not even as a child.  Her own doll was always the “Doctor” who dosed other children’s dolls when they became “ill.”

Just as many of her New England ancestors had been physicians and surgeons – as she herself became – they were also legislators – which she also eventually became. In 1919, she became the first woman elected to the State Assembly from upstate New York. 

She also held the distinction of being the only Democratic candidate elected from Schenectady County’s second district in 30 years.

Dr. Gillette originally came to New York State as a medical student, and, in 1898, graduated from the University of the State of New York medical College and Hospital in New York City.. She spent her internship at that hospital , with a second postgraduate year of working and practicing in New York City’s slums.

On June 1, 1900, she arrived in Schenectady to open her own practice.  Thirty-seven years later – on the occasion of her retirement – Dr. Gillette marveled at the changes in her profession.

In her early years, minor operations were most often done in homes after “scrubbing up a bit.”  Even an occasional appendectomy was done on a kitchen table.  In her estimation, the most valuable advances in medicine during her years of practice were the use of anesthetics and sterilization.

She also cited the evolvement of cooperation and collaboration among physicians and surgeons as an advancement in medical treatment. 

After her retirement, Dr. Gillette spent more time at her Union Street home with her parrot – known for its abundant vocabulary – and indulging in her library filled with her favorite biographies.

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