1 10 3 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource People People An individual. Metadata for a person provides detailed biographical information to describe the life of a historical figure. Birth Date 1882? Death Date 1992-09-11 Occupation Civic Leader Domestic Worker Source of File Attached Lauer, Evelyn. "Almost a century of giving to others." The Record, 15 Aug. 1990, p.NV-2. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Davis, Maria Cheney (1882?-1992) Subject The topic of the resource Activism, Social Welfare Health Care Description An account of the resource Maria Cheney Davis was one of Englewood’s most enduring community builders. Over the course of nearly half a century, she helped shape the city’s Black civic life through health advocacy, volunteer leadership, youth mentorship, and sustained service to Englewood Hospital and local institutions. Davis was best known as the founder and longtime president of the Dr. William F. Willoughby Auxiliary at Englewood Hospital. Established in 1953 to honor the hospital’s first Black physician, Dr. William F. Willoughby, the auxiliary became a vital fundraising and service organization at a time when African Americans were often excluded from formal hospital leadership. Under Davis’s guidance, the group raised thousands of dollars to support hospital facilities and patient care, including furnishing and maintaining the Dr. Willoughby Room, contributing equipment, and later supporting additional service spaces within the hospital. Her leadership style emphasized continuity and intergenerational responsibility. Recognizing the importance of passing civic values forward, Davis helped inspire the creation of a Junior Auxiliary, composed of daughters and granddaughters of senior members. Through garden parties, community events, and hands-on service, young members learned philanthropy by example—an approach that ensured the auxiliary’s mission would endure beyond its founders. Beyond the hospital, Davis was deeply involved in Englewood’s civic and social organizations. She was active in the Urban League of Bergen County, the Leonard Johnson Day Nursery, and several women’s professional and civic groups serving Black residents in Englewood and Teaneck. Her service bridged faith, politics, and community life: she was a longtime member of Galilee United Methodist Church, participated in church guild work, and also served as a Republican committeewoman in Englewood. In recognition of her decades of service, Davis received numerous honors, including an Urban League community service award in her nineties. Even in advanced age, she remained publicly engaged, continuing to raise funds and attend community events well into her late 90s. When Maria Cheney Davis died at the age of 100, tributes emphasized not only her longevity, but the infrastructure of care and service she helped build. Her legacy lives on in Englewood’s medical, civic, and faith institutions—and in the generations of young people who learned public service by following her example. Davis was also Leroy McCloud's mother-in-law. Lauer, Evelyn. "Almost a century of giving to others." The Record, 15 Aug. 1990, p.NV-2. "Young Auxilians Follow Elders' Example." The Record, February 23, 1971. "Maria Cheney Davis, 100." The Record, September 13, 1992. "Urban League Salutes 3." The Record, May 16, 1987. "Maria Cheney Davis." The Record, 13 Sept. 1992, p. 22. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Colman, David Ludder, Rachelle Activism Community Work Health Social Work Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource People People An individual. Metadata for a person provides detailed biographical information to describe the life of a historical figure. Birth Date 1886? Birthplace Barbados Death Date 1945-02-28 Occupation Physician Source of File Attached "Dr. Willoughby Is Dead At 59." The Record, 1 Mar. 1945, p.2. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Willoughby, William F. (1886?-1945) Subject The topic of the resource Health Care Immigrants, Caribbean Englewood New Jersey, Fourth Ward Description An account of the resource William F. Willoughby (c. 1866–1945) was a physician, medical examiner, and political leader whose career placed him at the center of Black civic life and racialized party politics in early-twentieth-century Bergen County, New Jersey. Born in Barbados, British West Indies, Willoughby immigrated to the United States in 1901 and established himself as part of a growing generation of Caribbean-born Black professionals who reshaped African American leadership in northern cities. Willoughby received extensive medical training. Contemporary newspapers reported that he was a graduate of Harvard Medical College and held multiple degrees from Oxford University, credentials that were repeatedly emphasized during his rise in Republican politics. By 1913, he had begun practicing medicine in Englewood, where he would live and work for more than three decades, eventually residing at 104 Reade Street. His medical career quickly intersected with public service. Willoughby served for many years on the Englewood Board of Health, where he became known for forceful critiques of overcrowding, unsanitary housing, and municipal neglect in the city’s Fourth Ward. He argued that poor living conditions were not accidental but the result of political indifference, discriminatory housing practices, and failures to use available state and federal funds. His public statements—often blunt and uncompromising—made him one of the most visible Black public-health voices in Bergen County during the interwar period. In 1917, Willoughby achieved a major political milestone when he was elected Bergen County Coroner on the Republican ticket, reportedly running at the top of the slate. Coverage at the time emphasized that he unified Black voters behind his candidacy, a fact that both allies and opponents openly acknowledged. His campaign was notably modest: he later reported spending just $1.75 on election expenses, a detail that newspapers treated as both remarkable and symbolic. Following his election, Willoughby continued to serve in county government in multiple capacities. He became assistant county physician, later assistant medical examiner, and at times served as county coroner and acting sheriff, roles that placed him at the intersection of medicine, law enforcement, and public administration. His appointments were frequently politicized. Democratic leaders openly accused Republicans of “payroll padding” and racial vote-buying when his positions were created or renewed, while Republicans defended his qualifications and record of service. Willoughby remained deeply involved in Republican ward politics, particularly in Englewood’s Fourth Ward, where Black voters increasingly held the balance of power. He ran for local office himself, including a campaign for the Common Council, and even in defeat remained a central figure in factional struggles within the party. Newspaper accounts depict him as influential, persistent, and polarizing—admired by supporters as a principled advocate for Black residents and denounced by critics as a disruptive force unwilling to defer to white party leadership. Beyond electoral politics, Willoughby was active in community health education, speaking at events such as Negro Health Week, where he presented statistical reports and addressed sanitation, disease prevention, and housing conditions. He consistently linked public health to broader questions of social justice, economic exploitation, and political accountability. His personal life, too, entered the public record. Willoughby suffered a devastating loss with the death of his daughter, Nadean Willoughby, who was killed in a motor vehicle accident in upstate New York while traveling to visit family. Her death was widely reported and noted alongside her achievements as a dressmaker and one of the early Black graduates of Textile High School in New York City. Willoughby’s later years were marked by declining health. He died in 1945 at the age of 59 after a prolonged illness. At the time of his death, he was serving as an assistant medical examiner for Bergen County and remained a member of the Bergen County Medical Association. Funeral services were held at his Englewood home, with cremation following in North Bergen. He was survived by his wife Willa D. Willoughby, two brothers, extended family members, and nephews serving in the armed forces. William F. Willoughby’s life illuminates the possibilities—and constraints—facing Black professional and political leaders in the North during the early twentieth century. As a Caribbean-born physician, elected county official, and outspoken critic of racial inequality, he challenged both municipal neglect and party discipline. His career reveals how medicine, politics, and race were tightly intertwined in shaping Black civic power in places like Englewood long before the modern civil rights movement. The Record (Hackensack, NJ), May 1, 1931, p. 6. Article on Englewood civic leaders attending a political convention and Edward Boone’s opposition to Charles B. Hinton for county committeeman. Atlanta Daily World (Atlanta, GA), July 5, 1932, p. 2. Report on the death of Miss Nadeen Willoughby, daughter of Dr. William F. Willoughby of Englewood, following a highway accident in New York State. The Record (Hackensack, NJ), July 15, 1938, p. 6. Coverage of Dr. William F. Willoughby’s public criticism of housing conditions and municipal policy affecting Black residents of Englewood’s Fourth Ward. The New York Age (New York, NY), January 23, 1937, p. 11. Englewood-area community news including church activities, social events, and local announcements. The Record (Hackensack, NJ), February 2, 1932, p. 6. Court report involving Charles B. Hinton, Bergen County courthouse elevator operator, with references to Dr. William F. Willoughby in related proceedings. The Record (Hackensack, NJ), April 19, 1934, p. 19. Retrospective account of Fourth Ward political history, including Dr. William F. Willoughby’s earlier Republican candidacy and subsequent political realignments. The New York Age (New York, NY), January 4, 1919, p. 2. Report on the election of Dr. William F. Willoughby of Englewood as Bergen County coroner and his support among Black Republican voters. Jersey Observer and Jersey Journal (Jersey City, NJ), November 8, 1917, p. 8. Election results from Bergen County noting Dr. William F. Willoughby’s success on the Republican ticket. The Record (Hackensack, NJ), November 14, 1917, p. 5. Brief item noting Dr. William F. Willoughby’s campaign expense report following his election as coroner. The Record (Hackensack, NJ), March 1, 1945, p. 2. Obituary of Dr. William F. Willoughby, physician, assistant medical examiner for Bergen County, and civic leader in Englewood. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Colman, David Ludder, Rachelle Caribbean Health Immigration https://archive.englewoodmakeshistory.org/files/original/bb380aa1a4870f2ff6eade738f5b1620.jpg 7fb5cb17e2c920a0cce575f08ef5bc18 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Organizations and Institutions Places A fixed location. Metadata for a place provides descriptive information that is the basis of discovery of the creation, purpose, and agents associated with a place. Date Started 1890-06-25 Type of Institution Social Welfare Source of File Attached "Englewood Hospital." Google Maps. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Englewood Hospital Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived “<a href="http://www.englewoodhealth.org/about-englewood-health/our-history">Our History</a>.” Englewood Health, 23 Mar. 2022. <div></div> “<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Englewood_Hospital_and_Medical_Center">Englewood Hospital and Medical Center.</a>” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 7 July 2024. Subject The topic of the resource Health Care Medical Services Description An account of the resource Englewood Hospital is a teaching hospital. Construction began in November 1889. The first patient was admitted on June 25, 1890. It expanded in 1901 to include a Men, Women, and Children Ward. In 1906 it included a maternity ward and by 1915 a contagious disease ward opened. By 1930 the School of Nursing was housed in the hospital. In the 1940s the hospital started the country's first blood bank for whole blood. Gynecological, bronchoscopy, gastroscopy, and cardiac clinics were established. By 1965 Public Health Services Department and an emergency center were added. In the 1970s, a neuroscience center, a vascular surgery program, and a diabetes program were included. The hospital was the first in the state to install an MRI machine in the 1980s. It was the only hospital in New Jersey in 1986 to participate in the federally funded Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction study. It was the first New Jersey Hospital to become an affiliate of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. The hospital is also known for its' bloodless surgery program. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Colman, David Ludder, Rachelle Health