Leonie von Meusebach–Zesch

Who was Leonie von Meusebach–Zesch?

Leonie von Meusebach–Zesch was an early 20th Century pioneer female dentist who practiced in Texas, Alaska, Arizona and California. She is also known as Leonie von Zesch or Leonie Zesch. She was inducted into the Alaska Women's Hall of Fame in 2012.

She was a dental surgeon with the United States Army following the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake. Her mother worked with the American Red Cross to document survivors after the disaster. After recovery, she provided onboard dental services to members of both the United States Pacific Fleet and the United States Atlantic Fleet. During the Great Depression, Meusebach–Zesch provided dental care to laborers with the Civilian Conservation Corps, and later to inmates at the California Institute for Women. For four years, she practiced in her home state of Texas, with an office in Mason. Three years of her dental career were spent in Arizona, where her patients included people from the Hopi and Navajo populations. To accommodate patients who could not travel to her practice in Winslow, Arizona, she hooked her equipment to the back of her Model T automobile and held mobile dental clinics around the state.