Charles Horace Mayo

Charles Horace Mayo was married to Edith (Graham) Mayo. She was the nurse anesthetist, who had assisted him in his first surgery at St. Mary’s Hospital. They had two sons; Charles William Mayo and Joseph Graham Mayo, both of whom were attached to the Mayo Clinic.

After retirement, Charles Horace Mayo and his brother William bought neighboring properties in Tucson, Arizona, where they spent most of the winters. However, they often traveled to Rochester as they were still Members of the Board of Mayo Clinic.

In 1939, while on a visit to Rochester, William was diagnosed with cancer. Hearing this, Charles went to Rochester to see him and from there he traveled to Chicago, where he had an appointment with his tailor. While in Chicago, he developed pneumonia and died there on May 26, 1939.

Charles Horace Mayo was born on July 19, 1865 in Rochester, Minnesota. His father, William Worrall Mayo, was a British-American doctor and chemist. Descendant of a famous English chemist, John Mayow, he had emigrated to the U.S.A in 1846 and subsequently earned his medical degree from Indiana Medical College.

His mother, Louise Abigail Wright, was an extraordinary lady, keen on providing the children with good education. The couple had five children and Charles was younger of their two sons. His elder brother, William James Mayo, was four years his senior. They also had three sisters; the eldest among them was Gertrude.

Although the brothers were sent to the local school, their education was not confined to the school curriculum alone. They attended the Rochester Training School to study Latin, classics and art. Their parents also encouraged them to read the works of established writers from the family library.

In addition, they studied physics, chemistry and anatomy with their father. He also instructed them in various other subjects related to medicine while they were busy doing chores around the house.

Their mother instructed them in botany, helping them to identify plants while walking around the family farm. To encourage their interest in astronomy, she also had a telescope installed on the roof top.

Initially, Charles Mayo worked as an assistant to his father, helping him in his private practice. At that time, the town did not have any hospital. However, after the tornado, when patients had to be treated in a dance hall, the Sisters of Saint Francis of Rochester decided to build one.

Led by Mother Mary Alfred Moes, the sisters approached old Dr. William Worrall Mayo and encouraged by him, they collected enough money to build a hospital. Subsequently, on September 30, 1889, Saint Mary's Hospital—the precursor to the Mayo Clinic—opened its doors in Rochester.

Charles, along with William, now joined his father, then 70 years old, in serving the hospital. While Senior Mayo served as the consulting physician, the younger Mayos began seeing patients. Subsequently, they started doing operations while the Sisters of Saint Francis acted as nurses.

It is believed that the first surgery at Saint Mary’s was performed by Charles Mayo and the first nurse anesthetist at the hospital was Edith Graham, who later married Charles.

Soon Charles Mayo became well-known as a surgeon. He had the ability to work in all surgical fields and patients from far and wide began to come to Rochester to be treated by him.

In 1892, Senior Dr. Mayo retired from active service leaving his sons to take care of both the hospital and his private practice. However, before he did that, he asked Dr. Augustus W. Stinchfield, one of the best doctors he knew, to join his sons in the growing practice, which he willingly did.

As the practice continued to grow, Dr. Christopher Graham, Dr. E. Star Judd, Dr. Henry Stanley Plummer, Dr. Melvin Millet, and Dr. Donald Balfour joined the group. Initially, they shared the profits of the private group practice, while other staffs were hired on salary.

In 1903, they together opened the ‘Mayo Clinic.’ Initially it was just a surgical clinic. With Charles Mayo pioneering important methods in thyroid, neurologic, cataract, and orthopedic surgery, its reputation began to grow fast. Very soon, they started expanding its facilities.

Concurrently, Charles Mayo continued performing surgery at St. Mary’s Hospital, from where he resigned in 1905. Thereafter, he concentrated fully on the Mayo Clinic, remaining in charge of its ophthalmic patients until 1908.

Then in 1911, his father, the Senior Mayo, passed away. By 1914, the Mayo Clinic had begun to outgrow the available space, and a new building that gave full expression to the integrated group medical practice was built.