Duke University School of Medicine - Aesculapian Yearbook (Durham, NC)

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THE HISTORY . . . . of Duke University Medical Center has its roots in the days of the Civil War when Durham was an insignificant railroad hamlet with a population of 200. Durham's fame as the cen- ter of the tobacco industry was the result of a historical accident that made bright-leaf tobacco popular across the nation. The growth of Durham as an industrial town and the crea- tion of Duke University were the result of a for- tuitous encounter. Two weeks before the end of the Civil War, Generals William T. Sherman and Joseph E. Johnston, the commanders of the Union and Confederate armies in North Carolina, met west of the town to discuss terms for the end of hostilities. During the few days of cease fire the troops from both camps wandered into the town and sacked the supplies of brightleaf tobacco in the warehouses. Days later the Confederates surrendered and the antici- pated battle was never fought. As the troops retumed to their home states, they distributed Durham's bright-leaf tobacco across the country. Washington Duke, a Confederate soldier, washington Duke 8 James Buchanan Duke had been captured and imprisoned by Union Troops during the war. After the surrender he was released with fifty cents in his pocket. Upon retuming to his farm in Durham he discovered his tobacco had been sacked by the Union troops. With the help of his sons Brodie L., Ben- jamin Newton, and James Buchanan and his daughter Mary Elizabeth, he packaged and sold the remainder of his tobacco. With the resulting profit he and his family managed to survive the winter. Encouraged by the populari- ty ofthe tobacco, he expanded his tobacco trade and labelled his product Pro Bono Pub- lico l For the Public Good J. During the next few years the business con- tinued to grow and Washington Duke took his sons Benjamin and James Buchanan into the firm as partners. Washington Duke retired in 1877 selling his interests in the firm to Richard Wright. Benjamin Duke continued to run the business, James Buchanan Duke operated the factory, and Richard Wright acted as a travel- ing salesman. By the time of Washington Duke's retirement the firm had accumulated a capital of S70,000 and had rapidly over- whelmed all other tobacco factories in Durham except for the manufacturers of the Bull, then owned by William Blackwell. James Buchanan Duke eventually became the leader of the company and met with great success in the tobacco industry, largely be-