Braxton Fancourt Cann, M.D. (1900–1974) was a distinguished Bermudian physician, community leader, and advocate for civil rights. Born in Bermuda in 1900 as the eldest son of Dr. John W. Cann, he attended The Berkeley Institute and earned his Bachelor of Science from Wilberforce University in 192. He further pursued his education at McGill University for a year before entering Howard University, where he received his medical degree in 1930. After completing his internship at Provident Hospital in Baltimore, he moved to Cincinnati with his wife, Reber, and established a successful medical practice.
Cann made significant contributions to medicine and civil rights. He became the first Black doctor appointed to the medical staff of Cincinnati General Hospital and the first Black clinical instructor at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. He served on the staff of the Catherine Booth Hospital for many years and was a clinician and director of the Shoemaker Clinic for three decades. In 1946, he was appointed to the Cincinnati Board of Health.
He served as Grand Sire Archon of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity, Inc. from 1960 to 1962. Beyond his professional accomplishments and his service to Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity, Cann was an active participant in the civil rights movement and a life member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. He and his wife were committed to civic and religious life, and he was a trustee of the AME Church at Central State University, which awarded him an honorary doctorate. He was also a 33rd-Degree Member of the Scottish Rite Prince Hall Masons, served as Ohio Past Grand Master of the Lodge, and was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity.
Braxton Fancourt Cann’s legacy continues through Dr. Braxton F. Cann Memorial Centre, named in his honor after his death in 1974.
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