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.