Dr. John R. Francis was born in Georgetown of Washington, DC.  He attended private and public schools in DC until he was sixteen years old.  He began his study of medicine under Dr. C. Cox, the Dean of the District Board of Health.  Francis attended Howard University and received his medical degree from the University of Michigan in 1878. 

He practiced privately in Washington and was known as the most prominent African American physician in DC.  In 1894, the Secretary of the Interior appointed Francis the first assistant surgeon of Freedmen’s Hospital.  He held that position from February 16, 1894 to June 30, 1905 and acted as Surgeon-in-Chief from February to September 1894.  While at Freedman’s Hospital, Dr. Francis instituted reforms in the treatment of patients, installed training schools for nurses, and served as the obstetrician for the hospital.

Dr. Francis was actively interested in the community, whose health problems he ministered to with the first private hospital owned by an African American man in DC.  Dr. Francis’s private sanatorium welcomed people of all races.

Dr. Francis served as a trustee of District Public Schools and on the Board of Education.  Francis Junior High School, a DC public school, is named for him.