Dr. Thomas N. Harris, born April 6, 1868, in Montgomery, Alabama, was one of the earliest Black physicians to practice medicine in Mobile. He graduated in 1899 from Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee, with dual degrees in dentistry and medicine. To further his medical knowledge, he completed post graduate medical courses at Philadelphia Poly Clinic in Pennsylvania. In 1905, he opened Mobile's first professionally staffed medical infirmary, which was dedicated to improving healthcare in the African-American community.