the Harlem Renaissance. He wrote engaging fic-
tion and was the first African-American man to
publish a detective novel. His literary triumphs,
which included making his debut in THE AT-
LANTICMONTHLY,energized the New York City
circles in which he moved and inspired his peers.
Fisher was the last of six children born in
WASHINGTON, D.C., to John and Glendora Fisher.
The family, who suffered the devastating early
deaths of three of the children, moved to Provi-
dence, Rhode Island. Fisher excelled in his studies
at Classical High School, from which he graduated
with honors in 1915. He stayed in Providence to
attend BROWNUNIVERSITYand distinguished him-
self while there. He was awarded prestigious uni-
versity prizes for public speaking and for studies in
German. In 1919, when he graduated with a de-
gree in English, he also delivered the oration on
Class Day and was the student speaker at Com-
mencement that year. At Commencement, Fisher
had the opportunity to meet PAULROBESON,an
emerging vocalist and then-Rutgers University stu-
dent. The two men, who became close friends in
the years to come, hatched a plan to raise funds for
their next academic ventures. According to Robe-
son biographers Sheila Boyle and Andrew Buni,
the two “ ‘toured the eastern seaboard’ in 1919 to
earn money for college tuition” (Boyle and Buni,
82). Despite their entrepreneurial spirit, however,
they failed to turn a profit from the musical ven-
ture that featured Fisher on the piano and Robe-
son as vocalist and needed to get emergency funds
from Fisher’s father in order to finance their pas-
sage home. One year later, in 1920, he completed
requirements for a master’s degree in biology from
Brown. He then relocated to Washington, D.C.,
where he enrolled at HOWARDUNIVERSITY, earned
his medical degree, and graduated summa cum
laude in 1924.
Fisher completed a one-year internship at the
Freedmen’s Hospital in 1925 and advanced medical
training at the Columbia University College of
Physicians and Surgeons in NEWYORKCITYin- His areas of specialization included
roentgenology, bacteriology, and pathology. The
PHIBETAKAPPAgraduate from Brown University
and Howard University Medical School graduate
eventually settled in HARLEM. During the course of
his medical career, Fisher enjoyed appointments at
leading hospitals and busy health agencies in New
York City. These included the Bronx Hospital, Mt.
Sinai, the International Hospital, and Montefiore
Hospital and Vincent Sanitarium as well as the
New York City Health Department, where he
worked as an X-ray technician for four years, from
1930 through 1934. He was highly respected as a
physician and enjoyed an active professional life
that included the presidency of the New York
branch of the Howard Medical Club and member-
ships in medical societies such as the Queens Clini-
cal Society and the North Harlem Medical
Association. Fisher also served in the military as a
first lieutenant with the Medical Corps of the Na-
tional Guard’s New York 369th Infantry.
Fisher married Jane Ryder in September 1924,
and the couple had one son, Hugh. The family
lived on Edgecombe Avenue in one of Harlem’s
most well-known apartment buildings. At 409
164 Fisher, Rudolph John Chauncey
Rudolph Fisher, physician and author (Yale Collection
of American Literature, Beinecke Rare Book and
Manuscript Library)