Thomas F. Frist Sr.
Thomas F. Frist | |
|---|---|
 HCA co-founders (left to right) Dr. Thomas Frist, Jack Massey, Dr. Thomas Frist Jr. | |
| Born | Thomas Fearn Frist December 15, 1910 Meridian, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Died | January 4, 1998 (aged 87) Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | University of Mississippi Vanderbilt University |
| Occupation | Physician, businessman |
| Spouse(s) | Dorothy Cate |
| Children | 5, including Bill and Thomas Jr. |
| Relatives | Thomas F. Frist, III (grandson) |
Thomas Fearn Frist (December 15, 1910 – January 4, 1998) was an American physician and businessman who co-founded the Hospital Corporation of America.
Early life[]
Thomas Fearn Frist Sr. was born on December 15, 1910 in Meridian, Mississippi, the son of Jennie (Jones) Frist and Jacob C. Frist.[1] He received his undergraduate education from the University of Mississippi and his medical degree from Vanderbilt University.[2]
Dr. Frist served as a Major in the Army Air Corps in World War II.
Career[]
Frist began his career as a cardiologist in the Nashville area. In 1968, with his son, Dr. Thomas F. Frist Jr., and Jack C. Massey, who helped Harland Sanders create the Kentucky Fried Chicken chain, he co-founded Hospital Corporation of America (HCA), the largest private operator of health care facilities in the world, taking the company public in 1969.[3] He is widely regarded as "the father of the modern for-profit hospital system" in the U.S.[2]
Personal life[]
He was married to Dorothy Cate, and they had three sons and two daughters: Thomas F. Frist Jr. (physician/businessman/philanthropist); Robert A. Frist (physician); Bill Frist (physician/U.S. Senator); Dorothy F. Boensch; and Mary F. Barfield.[2]
Death[]
He died in Nashville on January 4, 1998 [2] and is interred at Mount Olivet Cemetery.
References[]
- ^ Sen. Bill Frist Has Many Chattanooga Family Ties, The Chattanoogan, December 21, 2002
- ^ a b c d Kenneth N. Gilpin, Dr. Thomas Frist Sr., HCA Founder, Dies at 87, The New York Times, January 08, 1998
- ^ Maggie Mahar, Money-Driven Medicine: The Real Reason Health Care Costs So Much (Collins, 2006), p. 83.
External links[]
- 1910 births
- 1998 deaths
- People from Meridian, Mississippi
- People from Nashville, Tennessee
- University of Mississippi alumni
- Vanderbilt University alumni
- HCA Healthcare people
- Frist family
- American Presbyterians
- Burials at Mount Olivet Cemetery (Nashville)