Dr. Richard Currey was the first person with an earned doctorate to teach science at East Tennessee University in Knoxville. He was a well-known author, educator, and minister.

Richard Owen Currey was born on August 28, 1860, in Nashville, Tennessee. He was the son of Robert and Jane Currey. Richard Currey graduated from the University of Nashville in 1836. Currey attended Transylvania University from 1836-1837 and graduated with his M.D. in 1840 from the University of Pennsylvania. He returned to Nashville and married Rachel Eastin. The couple had two children.

In 1846, Currey became Professor of Chemistry, Experimental Philosophy, and Natural History at East Tennessee University in Knoxville. He remained there until 1850, when he left for the University of Nashville. Currey did not stay there long because of the school’s financial stability. In 1851, he published the Southern Agriculturist, joined the State Medical Association, and planned the Southern Journal of the Medical and Physical Sciences.

Currey later became a professor at Shelby Medical College. His family remained in Knoxville. Currey studied theology and became a minister at Lebanon-in-the-Fork Presbyterian Church. In 1861, Currey entered Confederate service as a chaplain-surgeon. In 1865, he started caring for Union prisoners in North Carolina. He died while working in a disease-infested hospital on February 17, 1865.