Dr. Henry Lucas

Dr. Henry Lucas was born on February 27, 1932 in Rahway, New Jersey. Following his graduation from high school, Lucas attended Howard University and received his B.S. degree in 1957. He completed his studies in dentistry at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee in 1960 and his postgraduate studies in orthodontics at the University of the Pacific in 1972.

Serving as a dentist in the U.S. Air Force before going into private practice as a dental surgeon, Lucas started his own private practice, the Sutter Place Dental Group in San Francisco, California. Recognized as one of the Outstanding Young Men of America in 1966, he was voted one of the top ten dentists in the United States in 2004. A lecturer at the University of the California School of Dentistry and a past president of the California State Board of Dental Examinations, Lucas is also a Fellow of the American Academy of General Dentistry and a member of the American Cosmetic Dentistry. His other professional affiliations include The American Society of Dentistry for Children and the California Dental Health Advisory Committee.

An active Republican, in 1981, President Reagan appointed Lucas to the President’s Commission on (Iran) Hostage Compensation. President Reagan later appointed him to the President’s Private Sector Initiative Task Force and the Department of Transportation Committee. Also a member of the Minority Business Resource Center, the Foundation for the Advancement of Minority Enterprise (FAME) and the Martin Luther King Commission for the State of California, Lucas founded and serves on the board of directors for the Time Savings and Loan Association. In 1997, he endowed the Henry Lucas, DDS Scholarship Fund at Meharry Medical College to assist promising dental students.

Lucas passed away on June 1, 2009 at the age of 77.

Lucas was interviewed by The HistoryMakers on April 1, 2005.