Covington, B. J. (Benjamin Jesse), 1869-1961

Benjamin Covington was a prominent black physician who practiced in Houston from 1903 until his death in 1961. Dr. Covington and his wife, Jennie, attended Guadaloupe College in Seguin, Texas, where they met and eventually married. He received his medical degree from Meharry Medical college in 1900. The Covingtons played active roles in organizing a number of charitable organizations, including an African-American branch of the YMCA and the Houston Settlement Association, and were longtime members of the Antioch Missionary Baptist Church. Dr. Covington helped found the Houston Negro Hospital, which later became Riverside General. The Covington famiy played host to many distinguished black Americans, including the singer Marian Anderson and Booker T. Washington. The Covington's daughter, Jesse, an accomplished pianist, attended Oberlin college in the 1930's and later the Juillard School of Music. She married Dr. Albert W. Dent, president of Dillard University in New Orleans.