Charles Norris

Charles Norris (December 4, 1867 – September 11, 1935) was New York's first appointed chief medical examiner (1918–1935) and pioneer of forensic toxicology in America.

Early life

Norris was born on December 4, 1867. He was first educated at Cutler's Private School in Manhattan, later entering Yale University and earning a bachelor of philosophy with emphasis on science. He then went to the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, earning a doctorate in medicine in 1892. After studying for four years in Europe, he returned to New York, and in 1904 became the laboratory director at Bellevue and Allied Hospitals.

Medical examiner In 1917, Norris, applying for the job of Chief Medical Examiner of the City of New York, took a civil service examination and passed, along with two other doctors. Mayor John F. Hylan immediately took legal action against them, claiming that in performing autopsies as part of the examination they had violated the law. Following threats of legal action from Leonard Wallstein and other civic groups, Governor Charles Whitman intervened, forcing Hylan to appoint one of the three applicants, of which Norris was chosen to be chief medical examiner.

Advisory Board of the Association Against Impure Liquor On February 12, 1927, Norris was elected to the chairmanship of the Advisory Board of the Association Against Impure Liquor. The purpose of the organization was to organize physicians, hospital administrators, and pharmacists who "realize the necessity of purity of liquors administered to the sick."

Death In the spring of 1935, Norris began to feel ill. He began staying away from public events. That summer, he took a vacation to South America, hoping to improve his health. Once he returned in late August, his health steadily deteriorated. He died at 8:30 p.m. on September 11, 1935, of heart failure.