Mel Ferrer never knew his father, who died in 1920
when he was only two years old, but he always identified with his
father's Spanish heritage.
Born José Maria Ferrer O'Brien on December 3, 1856 in
Cuba of a Spanish father and an Irish mother, the elder Ferrer was raised in New York
City and graduated from Columbia's College of Physicians and Surgeons in
1879. Dr. Ferrer became an authority on pneumonia, practicing out of St.
Vincent's Hospital in New York City, where he also resided.
Dr. Ferrer didn't marry until October 18, 1910 when he was 53 years old and
at that time he was living at 141 Park Avenue. His bride was 22 years
younger than he and quickly provided him with four children of whom Mel
was his third child and second son. Another daughter was born in 1919,
less than a year before his death on February 23, 1920 of a heart attack
at the age of 63. Dr. Ferrer passed away unexpectedly at his residence, 10 East 66th
Street.
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Dr. José Maria Ferrer's New York Times
marriage announcement and obituary: |
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New York Times
February 24, 1920 |
New York Times October
19, 1910 |
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