16 Facts About Luther Terry

Luther Leonidas Terry was an American physician and public health official.

Luther Terry was appointed the ninth Surgeon General of the United States from 1961 to 1965, and is best known for his warnings against the dangers and the impact of tobacco use on health.

Luther Terry's father was a graduate of the University of Alabama School of Medicine, and was the "town doctor" for Red Level.

Luther Terry subsequently served as instructor and assistant professor of preventive medicine and public health at the University of Texas at Galveston from 1940 to 1942.

In 1942, Luther Terry joined the staff of the Public Health Service Hospital in Baltimore, becoming Chief of Medical Services there the following year.

Luther Terry served as the first Chairman of the Medical Board of the Clinical Center and was concurrently instructor and then assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine from 1944 to 1961.

In 1958, Luther Terry became the Assistant Director of the National Heart Institute.

Luther Terry came to public prominence when President John F Kennedy selected him as Surgeon General of the Public Health Service, effective March 2,1961.

Shortly after the release of this report, Luther Terry established the Surgeon General's Advisory Committee on Smoking and Health, which he chaired, to produce a similar report for the United States.

Luther Terry himself continued to play a leading role in the campaign against smoking after leaving the post of surgeon general, which he occupied through October 1,1965.

Luther Terry chaired the National Interagency Council on Smoking and Health, a coalition of government agencies and nongovernment organizations, from 1967 to 1969, and served as a consultant to groups such as the American Cancer Society.

Luther Terry helped to obtain a ban on cigarette advertisements on radio and television in 1971.

When Luther Terry retired from government service in 1965, he became vice president for medical affairs, as well as professor of medicine and community medicine, at the University of Pennsylvania.

Luther Terry was responsible for managing the university's health sciences schools, comprising some 40 percent of the university's budget, until he gave up the position of vice president in 1971.

Luther Terry retained his professorial appointment until 1975, when he became adjunct professor, and then in 1981 emeritus professor.

Luther Terry died at Pennsylvania Hospital on March 29,1985, aged 73, after a heart attack.