Gilbert, J. Allen, 1867-1948

J. Allen Gilbert (April 5, 1867-April 18, 1948) was a medical doctor and physiology professor who resided in Portland, Or. Raised in Dayton, Ohio, Gilbert attended several schools, including the Union Biblical Seminary and Yale University. He attained his medical degree in 1901. In 1901, after Gilbert married Florence A. Zerwekh, the couple relocated to Portland, Or., where he started his career as a Professor of Physiology at the Dental School of North Pacific College (later the University of Oregon Dental School). Their daughter, Dorothea, was born in 1906. Florence Gilbert died on December 17, 1917, which prompted her husband to undertake a worldwide search for her spirit. However, after seven years he called off the quest, declaring it a failure. Gilbert and his daughter wrote extensively to each other from the 1920s to the 1940s. He corresponded with various individuals during his lifetime, including Dr. Carl Gustav Jung and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

From the guide to the J. Allen Gilbert Papers, circa 1888-1990, (Oregon Historical Society)