Clarence Wilbur Taber

Clarence Wilbur Taber (1870–1967) was an American businessman best known for publishing Taber’s Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary with the F. A. Davis Company of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Early life

Clarence Taber was born in Jersey City, New Jersey. In 1884, he moved with his mother and stepfather to the prairies near Pierre in the Dakota Territory. Taber left home at the age of 17. He worked as a farm hand, then found a job as a stableman and janitor for a local banker. Taber eventually became a teller, cashier, and loan officer at his employer’s bank.

Taber joined a militia in the northern Dakota Territory during the Indian resistance of September 1890.

The American Medical Association offered him equally high praise. On what turned out to be his last birthday, the AMA sent Taber a telegram that read, “Congratulations on your 97th birthday and your great contributions to American medicine.”

The 21st edition of Taber’s Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary was published in February 2009. It contains more than 61,000 terms and more than 1,200 illustrations and tables. The 21st edition is available in print, on DVD, and in many electronic formats.

Clarence Wilbur Taber edited ten editions between 1940 and 1965. The eleventh edition was published in 1970, after Taber’s death. Clayton Thomas edited seven editions between 1973 and 1997. Clayton Thomas and Donald Venes co-edited the 19th edition published in 2001. Donald Venes edited the 20th and 21st editions.