Roger Irving Lee

Roger Irving Lee (August 12, 1881 – October 28, 1965) was an American medical doctor who was president of the American College of Physicians, Massachusetts Medical Society (1943–1944), and the American Medical Association (1945–1946).

Early life Lee was born on August 12, 1881 in Peabody, Massachusetts to William Thomas and Mary (Farnsworth) Lee. In 1913, he co-authored a scientific paper, on the coagulation of blood, with Paul Dudley White.

World War I From July 10, 1915 to September 1, 1915, Lee was a member of the Harvard Surgical Unit. He was commissioned a temporary honorary major in the Royal Army Medical Corps and assigned to British Expeditionary Force General Hospital No 22. In 1921, he chaired the special committee that planned the new Harvard School of Public Health, which led him to be called the "Father" of the school. He served as acting dean from 1922 to 1923 while during David L. Edsall was in Europe for educational surveys. From 1921 to 1934, he was a member of the public health council of Massachusetts.

In 1924, Lee resigned his professorship to return to private practice. He resumed his work at Massachusetts General Hospital, rising to the position of associate chief of the medical service. As a fellow, Lee helped guide Havard through the Great Depression, World War II, and the Second Red Scare. On May 8, 1933, the fellows announced that they had elected Conant as the next president. Lee was a fellow when the corporation elected Conant's successor, Nathan Pusey.

On April 4, 1940, Lee was elected president of the American College of Physicians for the year 1941. From 1943 to 1944, he was president of the Massachusetts Medical Society. He was president of the American Medical Association from 1945 to 1946 and was a leader in the fight against the Wagner-Murray-Dingell Bill, which sought to institute a system of national health insurance in the United States. They had three sons – Roger Jr., Arthur, and William. Lee died October 28, 1965 at his home in Brookline, Massachusetts.