Vigo County Historical Society

Medical profession owes much to Thomas Moorhead

Noted Terre Haute physician Thomas William Moorhead was born May 31, 1856. His father, John Moorhead, came to the United States from County Monaghan, Ireland, in the early 1800s and became a wealthy shipbuilder in the east before coming to Terre Haute to live. His mother and French immigrant, Hannah Devereaux Moorhead, was a student at St. Mary-of-the-Woods.

The Moorheads had 12 children, Thomas being the eldest. He graduated from Terre Haute High School, attended Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and later graduated from the medical school of the University of Pennsylvania.

Moorhead set up his first practice in Crawfordsville but after two years moved to Terre Haute to practice. He became a prominent surgeon in Terre Haute, having served as chief surgeon for the Big Four Railroad in this area.

Moorhead and his first wife, Florence B. Kelly, had one son, Herbert, who accidentally drowned in 1889 while trying to save a fellow student at Culver Military Academy.

After his first wife’s death, Moorhead married Grace Hinton. They had no children.

Moorhead had a very successful career as a practitioner.

In 1904, he became president of the Aesculapian Society, which is the oldest medical society west of the Alleghenies. He was an accomplished speaker and was always in demand as a toastmaster and master of ceremonies.

Moorhead was very involved in civic affairs, particularly improving medical care for the common man.

After a long, successful medical career and leader in civic activities, he died on Nov. 7, 1934. The medical profession owes much to his deep interest in medical science.

The Historical Museum of the Wabash Valley, 1411 S. Sixth St., is open from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Previous articles are available on the society Web site at web.indstate.edu/community/vchs