Richard Brooke (physician)

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Richard Brooke (June 2, 1716 – July 13, 1783) was an American physician, surgeon, politician, and slaveholder from Maryland. He was born in Prince George's Province, Maryland, to Thomas Brooke and Lucy Smith. He married Rachel Gantt in 1767, and they had three children: Frederick Thomas Brooke, Sarah Brooke, and Thomas Brooke. His education is not known, but he earned an M.D. and wrote for journals such as The Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London and Gentleman's Magazine, covering topics from smallpox inoculation to weather, lightning rods, lice, and mouth-pimples. He entered public life after inheriting part of his father's estate in 1744, and he clashed with several governors and with Roman Catholics, ultimately supporting the American Revolution. He was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 1769. He represented Prince George's Province at the Maryland Provincial Convention in 1775 and signed the Declaration of the Association of Freemen of Maryland. He died at his Brookefield estate.