Thomas F. Frist Sr.
Thomas F. Frist Sr. | |
|---|---|
 HCA founders (left to right) Dr. Thomas Frist Sr., 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(s) | Physician, businessman |
| Children | Bill Frist Thomas F. Frist Jr.. |
| Relatives | Thomas F. Frist, III (grandson) |
Thomas Fearn Frist Sr. (December 15, 1910 – January 4, 1998) was an American physician and businessman.
Early life
Thomas Fearn Frist Sr. was born on December 15, 1910 in Meridian, Mississippi, the son of Jennie (James) Frist and Jacob C. Frist.[1] He received his undergraduate education from the University of Mississippi and his medical degree from Vanderbilt University.[2]
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 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]
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.