Dr. Schuyler Colfax Graves, of Grand Rapids, was born in Kalamazoo, Mich., March 6, 1858, a son of ., H. Samuel and Mary (Williams-Baldwin) Graves.

Rev. Samuel Graves, D. D., father of the subject, was born in New Hampshire March 25, 1820, was educated at Madison university (now Colgate), Hamilton, N. Y., and in early manhood entered the ministry of the Baptist church. For about seven years he was in charge of a congregation at Ann Arbor, Mich., and was then called to the Greek chair at Kalamazoo college, and it was during his incumbency of this professorship that his son, Dr. Schuyler Colfax Graves, was born. Rev. Samuel Graves was called from Kalamazoo to the pastorate of the Central Baptist church of Norwich, Conn., where he officiated from 1859 to 1869, and in that city the boyhood days of young Schuyler C. were passed. The Rev. Samuel Graves next accepted a call to Grand Rapids, Mich., built the Fountain Street Baptist church, and then was called to the presidency of the Atlanta Baptist Seminary at Atlanta, Ga., an institution for the education of colored boys in theology and the liberal arts. For nine years Dr. Graves acted as the president of, or professor of theology in, this institution, and then returned to Grand Rapids in the fall of 1894, and here, on January 17, 1895, ended his long and useful career in life.

Mrs. Mary Graves, relict of Rev. Dr. Samuel Graves, is a direct descendant of the Schuylers and Colfaxes of New Jersey and is a member of the order of the Daughters of Revolution. Her family consist of two sons and two daughters. Of these, the eldest is Mrs. Henry H. Bowman, whose husband is a banker of Springfield, Mass.; the next in order of birth is Mrs. Lawrence P. Eddy, whose husband is a prominent lawyer of Grand Rapids; the third is Dr. Schuyler C., the subject proper of this article, and the youngest is William Colfax, one of the editors of the Chicago Tribune. Mrs. Graves, the mother of this family, is passing her declining years at the home of her son, Dr. Schuyler C.

Dr Schuyler C. Graves came to Grand Rapids with his parents in January, 1870, and here graduated from the high school in 1877. He then entered the literary department of the university of Michigan, took the freshman year, then entered the medical department and completed a three year course of study in 1881. He was at once appointed assistant demonstrator of anatomy in the university, but resigned this position at the close of a year to enter upon the general practice of his profession at Charlevoix, Mich., where he enjoyed a good practice from 1882 to 1885, and was for a portion of this period surgeon for the Delaware copper mine, Lake Superior, and part of the time coroner of Charlevoix county.

In 1885 Dr. Graves came to Grand Rapids, and here for ten years devoted his attention exclusively to surgery. The year 1896 was passed by Dr. Graves abroad in visiting clinics, particularly those of London and Germany, and upon his return to America he took special courses in surgery in Philadelphia, and also under Dr. Charles McBurny, in New York City. June 4, 1898, he was appointed, by President McKinley, as major and brigade, surgeon, to serve, during the recent war with Spain, in the First Brigade, Third division, Fourth army corps, on the staff of Brig-Gen. Jacob Kline, and did duty at Tampa and Fernandina, Fla., and at Huntville, Ala., and then, hostilities having come to a lull, was granted a leave of absence, after which he was honorably discharged from the service.

Dr. Graves is one of the surgeons employed by the Michigan Central Railroad company; he has served two terms as county physician of Kent county; was professor of surgery in the Grand Rapids Medical college, but resigned at the close of the year 1898; is visiting surgeon to the Union Benevolent Association hospital, and has been lecturer on anatomy at the Union Benevolent Association hospital for training nurses ever since its establishment in 1887. The doctor has also served as president of the Grand Rapids academy of Medicine, and is a member of the local, the State and the National Medical societies; is also an honorary member of the Grand River Valley Medical association, the Detroit, Eaton and Barry county Medical association and Northern Tri-State Medical society, to all of which he has contributed many valuable papers on the science and practice of medicine. He is also a member of the Alpha Delta Phi Peninsular chapter, and of the Sons of the American Revolution. He is, besides, the author of the medical chapter in the History of Grand Rapids recently published by Albert Baxter, as well as of many interesting contributions to medical magazines and the public press. The doctor was also elected chairman of the surgical section of the Michigan State Medical society, and to the oratorship on surgery in the same.

Dr. Graves was united in marriage October 9, 1883, at St. Louis, Mo., to Miss Annie M. Dryden, youngest daughter of Hon. John D. S. Dryden, ex-supreme court judge of the state of Missouri. After eighteen months of married life, he had the misfortune to lose his bride, who left behind, to grieve her sad departure, besides himself, an infant daughter—Annie Dryden—now a charming miss of fifteen years and an attendant at school in Grand Rapids.

The doctor’s religious membership is with the church of which his father was the pastor for so many years—the Fountain Street Baptist. In politics he is a stanch republican.