Ida Gray (also known as Ida Gray Nelson and Ida Rollins; March 4, 1867 – May 3, 1953) was the first African-American woman to become a dentist in the United States. At a very young age she became an orphan when her parents died. Later in her life she became interested in dentistry when she went to work in the offices of Jonathan Taft, an early advocate for women to learn dentistry. After her apprenticeship in his office, Gray was able to pass the entrance examinations and then attended the University of Michigan School of Dentistry. When she graduated, it was widely published that she was the first African American dentist in the United States and she was promoted as a role model for women to follow. Gray practiced in Ohio before settling in Chicago, where she remained until her death. She practiced for more than thirty years. Early life Ida Gray was born on March 4, 1867, in Clarksville, Tennessee. She was an infant when her teenage mother Jenny Gray died. Her father, a white man, had no part in raising her when her mother died. Gray was sent to live with her aunt, Caroline Gray, in Cincinnati, Ohio. She, along with Caroline's three children - Howard, Susan, and Mary - attended the segregated public schools. Though she worked from an early age as a seamstress, Gray persevered with her schooling and graduated from Gaines High School in 1887. Career During her schooling, Gray began working in the offices of William and Jonathan Taft, who were advocates of women being trained as dentists. He had been the dean of the Ohio College of Dentistry and was recruited by the University of Michigan to help found their first dental school. When he left Ohio to take up the post, Taft kept an office with William Taft in Cincinnati. Gray worked in the office for approximately three years, learning enough to pass the entrance examinations for the University of Michigan School of Dentistry, which she entered on October 1, 1887. Gray graduated in June 1890, becoming the first African-American woman dentist in the United States. Gray's accomplishment was widely published and she opened an office at 216 Ninth Street in Cincinnati. In her practice, she serviced both white and black patients and was repeatedly cited in black media as a role model for other women. In 1895, she relocated her practice