Clement Ligoure

Clement Courtenay Ligoure (13 October 1887 – 23 May 1922) was a Trinidadian doctor and newspaper publisher who was the first [licensed]* Black physician to practise in Nova Scotia, Canada. *[The first Black man to practise medicine in the province may have been a North Sydney, Cape Breton doctor, Adam Lloyd Bayley (1845–1913), originally from Jamaica. However, despite several documented references as to his professional standing, Dr. Bayley’s name is not listed in any of the Nova Scotia Medical Registers and, by his own admission, practiced without a licence.] Dr. Ligoure is also noted for treating hundreds of victims of the Halifax Explosion from his home clinic as well as being an editor and publisher of The Atlantic Advocate newspaper.

Early life and education Born in San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago, he was the son of Clement François and Amanda M. (née) Crooke. His father worked for the Supreme Court of Trinidad and Tobago.

In April 1906 at age 18, Clement Ligoure immigrated to the United States. That same year, he started studies at Queen's University in Ontario, Canada. At the university, he earned a Bachelor of Medicine Degree in 1914 and a Doctor of Medicine degree in 1916. after receiving his final degree. Nevertheless, Dr. Ligoure spent the next seven months raising money and recruiting for the battalion.

Despite being a licensed physician, Ligoure was denied hospital privileges in Halifax. At first his only support was from his housekeeper, Miss Bessie Waith, and his boarder, H.D. Nicholas, a Pullman porter. His patients were almost all White.

The Atlantic Advocate newspaper Ligoure served as the editor and publisher of The Atlantic Advocate, originally founded by Wilfred Adolphus DeCosta. The newspaper ran from 1915 to 1917 and its masthead read: "Devoted to the interests of colored people." Following the closure of The Atlantic Advocate, Dr. Ligoure became an active spokesman for the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League (UNIA-ACL), the first major Black social movement of the 20th century. The organization was founded in Jamaica in 1914 by Marcus Garvey and several associates and established its headquarters in Harlem by 1916. Dr. Ligoure was responsible for giving instructions to the Dominica Brotherhood Union so to form a chapter in Roseau. The doctor gave a rousing speech to the Brotherhood in January 1920. The evening’s proceedings were recorded in the 29 January edition of the Dominica Guardian.

Death and legacy In 1919, Dr. Ligoure came down with an unspecified illness which eventually forced him to close down his Halifax practice. He returned to Port of Spain in June of 1921. Almost a year later, during a visit with his brother Clarence in Tobago, Dr. Ligoure contracted malignant malaria. He was transported to the Colonial Hospital in Port of Spain, Trinidad, where he died at 34 years of age on 23 May 1922.

In Halifax, the former house of Ligoure (of which only a part still stands ) was given heritage status on 24 January 2023. The decision by Halifax's regional council followed lobbying efforts by the Friends of Halifax Common and several notable Black community members. The house is listed at 5812-14 North Street, and was built in 1892.

A new biography by Joel Zemel has been released as of July 2024. The book is entitled Dr. Clement Courtenay Ligoure: Publishing, Social Advocacy and the 1917 Halifax Disaster. The volume also provides new information about Dr. Ligoure’s early life, details of his involvement as a recruiter for the No. 2 Construction Battalion, his work for the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League, and what happened to him after he closed down his medical practice and left Halifax for good.