Dr. Edward Delafield (1794–1875)
1794–1875
Pioneering New York ophthalmologist; co-founder of the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary; President of the College of Physicians & Surgeons
Biography
Dr. Edward Delafield was one of the founders of modern American ophthalmology. In 1820 he co-founded the New York Eye Infirmary (now the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai), the first specialty eye hospital in the Western Hemisphere. He served as President of the College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York from 1858 to 1875. He married Julia Livingston (1801–1882) of the Clermont Livingstons, who later authored the biography of his grandfather-in-law, New York Governor Morgan Lewis.