Gessner, Hermann Bertram (MD)

Submitted by Mike Miller

Gessner, Hermann Bertram, M. D., of New Orleans, was born in New Orleans, Feb. 19, 1872, son of George Gessner, a native of Sondershofen, Bavaria (born Jan. 23, 1828), and Josephine Nicks, born at Bremen, Germany, Sept. 28, 1837. The father's parents were of a family engaged in farming and Mrs. Gessner's people were among the first manufacturers of umbrellas in Europe. The elder Gessner, while a student of the University of Wurzburg, was one of the leading spirits in a formidable uprising to demand a constitutional form of government in 1848. Five years later he came to the United States to practice medicine, which he had studied for 4 years, but being offered a position as teacher, he accepted, and taught until shortly before his death in 1907. Mrs. Gessner had come to this country with her father, Karl Nicks, in 1850, and was educated at the Ursuline convent. She became the wife of George Gessner on Sept. 20, 1857. Dr. Gessner's father was a soldier in the Confederate army during the war between North and South, having enlisted as a private, in Oct., 1862, in Company B Washington artillery. Was in engagements with his command in the Army of Northern Virginia from 1862 to the surrender in the spring of 1865. At Drury's Bluff, Va., he was wounded, and was sent to the military hospital in Richmond. Dr. Gessner was educated in private schools until 1883, and next attended Tulane High School and Tulane College, receiving the degrees of A. B. (1889), A. M. (1891). Was medical student 1891-1895, and received his diploma of M. D. in 1895. From 1893 to 1895 he was resident student and ambulance surgeon of the Charity hospital. Since his graduation as physician Dr. Gessner has been in active practice in New Orleans, and in 1912 he withdrew from general practice to devote himself exclusively to surgery. During the years 1897 and 1905 Dr. Gessner served as acting assistant surgeon in the United States Public Health and Marine hospital service in combating outbreaks of yellow fever. In the epidemic of 1905 he worked under Dr. J. H. White, who conducted the memorable and most successful campaign that freed New Orleans from the yellow plague ever since. When war was declared with Spain, Dr. Gessner entered the United States army in 1898, and was acting assistant surgeon, United States army, serving at Tampa, Fla.; Fernandina, Fla., and Montauk Point, L. I. He is member of Phi Delta Theta college fraternity, honorary member of Alpha Kappa Kappa and a Phi Beta Kappa. Was president and is member of the Orleans Parish Medical society, ex-vice-president and at present councillor of the Louisiana State Medical society, is affiliated with the Southern Medical Association, the American Medical association, the Association of Military Surgeons, the Medical Reserve corps of the United States Army with rank of first lieutenant, commissioned by Pres. W. H. Taft in 1909. Dr. Gessner is professor of operative and clinical surgery in Tulane university of Louisiana, one of the chief visiting surgeons of the Charity hospital and chairman of the advisory medical committee of the visiting staff, Charity hospital, and junior surgeon of the Touro infirmary.

In politics, Dr. Gessner is a Democrat. Through several campaigns he helped to build up a healthy opposition faction to make up for the lack of party antagonism in this community. Feb. 27, 1900, he married Miss Jessie Hayes, daughter of Edward and Ann (Burnett) Hayes, both born in England, and who emigrated to the United States in 1881. Mr. Hayes, Sr., died in 1902; his widow is still living, and resides at Lake Charles, La. Dr. and Mrs. Gessner have 4 children: Leonard Edward, aged 13; Josephine Hayes, 11; Barbara Jessie, 9, and Edward Heim, 7.

Source: Louisiana: Comprising Sketches of Parishes, Towns, Events, Institutions, and Persons, Arranged in Cyclopedic Form (volume 3), pp. 177-178. Edited by Alcée Fortier, Lit.D. Published in 1914, by Century Historical Association.