Page:Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography volume 5.djvu/621

 VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY

979

courses he entered Richmond College, com- pleting his classical education at Washing- ton and Lee University. He chose the pro- fession of medicine as his life work, was graduated Doctor of Medicine from the Medical College of Virginia, in 1881, receiv- ing the same degree in 1882 from the Uni- versity of the City of New York, after com- pleting a post-graduate course. He located in Richmond where he quickly established a reputation for skillful diagnosis and treat- ment of disease. He was and is an everlast- ing exponent of the gospel of "prevention" and was so persistent in his preachings and teachings that to him was entrusted, in 1888, the responsible duty of safeguarding the public health of the city. In that year he liecame president of the board of health and has so well performed the task alloted him that no change in that office has since been made. \'olumes of eulogy could not express more forcibly the value of his service to the public health than the fact that for twen- ty-five years he has held his high and re- sponsible position. He is a member of many professional societies and organizations de- voted to mimicipal health and sanitation, both local, state and national. His private practice, both medical and surgical, is exten- sive and among his professional brethren he is highly esteemed and honored. He is a member of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, and of the Commonwealth Club of Richmond.

Dr. Oppenhimer married, in St. James Church, Richmond, November 21, 1889, Sa- rah Sergeant Mayo, born in Richmond, No- vember 22, 1870, daughter of William Car- rington and JNIargaret Ellen (Wise) Mayo. (See forward). Children: Ellen Wise, born August 22, 1890, deceased ; \\^ T.. born Feb- ruary 16. 1892 ; Sarah Sargeant, July 5, 1894; Henry A., June 16, 1896.

William Carrington Mayo was born in Richmond, Virginia, January 8, 1834, son of Edward Carrington Alayo (Yale. 181 1) and Adeline (Marx) Mayo. After preparatory courses at Burlington, New Jersey, he en- tered. Yale College, class of "52," the young- est man in his class. After a brilliant college career he was graduated with honor, and for a short time thereafter was engaged in en- gineering operations in Pennsylvania and Ohio. Following this he spent several years abroad, chiefly in Paris, where he acquired his wonderful command of many European languages. At the outbreak of the war be-

tween the states of the Union, he was con- fined to his bed by a broken leg, and for six months was kept there until the wounded limb was completely mended. He then took passage on a blockade runner and safely ran the gauntlet of the Federal vessels guarding the harbor at Charleston. He at once enlisted in the Confederate service as a private, joining the army of Northern Vir- ginia and fought gallantly in many of the important battles of the war. He gained honorable distinction and was ofifered an officer's commission but he refused all re- ward and remained a private until the end. He was wounded six times, receiving at Spottsylvania a shot that passed through his body. Bravely as he fought for his state and beloved South, he afterwards felt, as stated in a letter written in 1892, that the success of the Confederacy "would have been attended with the most deplorable re- sults."

After the war he engaged in business in Richmond for a time, but also was an exten- sive traveler, twice making the journey around the world. In 1888 he was appointed clerk and translator in the state department at Washington and a few months prior to his death was promoted to a position in the diplomatic corps. Mr. Mayo was a mar- velous linguist, reading and writing twelve languages and speaking those of Continental Europe with fluency. He was the only per- son in the state department able to translate the Russian language correctly, and it was through this knowledge that the govern- ment discovered the incorrectness of the first translation of the Russian dispatches submitted to the Behring Sea Tribunal of Arbitration at Paris. Mr. Mayo, discover- ing the mistakes made, the government with- drew them in time to avoid the humiliation of having the inaccurate translation discov- ered and pointed out by the Tribunal. In 1891, while fulfilling his duties in the state department, he began the study of law at Columbia University, and in 1894 was grad- uated LL. B. He pursued a post-graduate course, receiving the degree of Master of Laws, and was admitted to the bar in 1895. He also in that year received from Yale Uni- versity the honorary degree of Master of Arts. His contributions to literature were valuable, consisting of a compilation of a collection of German idioms for use in the schools, also one of French idioms for the