Dr. William S. Middleton

Who is William S. Middleton?

"One of the greatest teachers of medicine this country has ever developed."

- The Senate Veterans Committee, 1976

Physician. Educator. Veteran. These are just a few of the titles associated with William S. Middleton, the inspiring man for which our facility is named.

Early Life

William Shainline Middleton was born January 7, 1890 in Norristown, Pennsylvania.  At age 17, he entered the University of Pennsylvania Medical School, earning his medical degree in 1911.  In 1912, he joined the faculty at the University of Wisconsin Medical School in Madison.

The Academic

Dr. Middleton served 63 years on the UW Medical School faculty.  Starting out as a Clinical Instructor in Medicine, he swiftly rose in the academic ranks.  In 1935, he was appointed Dean of the UW Medical School, making him the second dean in its history!  Serving in this capacity for 20 years, the school flourished under his leadership. He became renowned for his admirable professionalism, authorship of 300 scholarly papers, mastery of the physical examination and mentorship of third and fourth-year medical students in internal medicine.

The Serviceman

More notably, Middleton was a highly decorated member of the U.S. Army that served in World Wars I and II.  From 1917-1919, he served in WWI as General Medical Officer with U.S. Expeditionary Forces in France. When the U.S. was on the brink of entering WWII, he served in the U.S. Army Reserve as an Advisor to the U.S. Medical Corps.  Recalled to active duty in 1942, he served in WWII as Chief Consultant in Medicine in the European Theater of Operations.  During the conflict, he performed unprecedented levels of care for the sick and wounded never before achieved in military medicine.  For his commendable service, he was awarded several military honors including the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit with Oak Leaf Cluster, the French Croix de Guerre with Palm and the Order of the British Empire.

Career in the Veterans Administration

In 1955, Middleton was appointed Chief Medical Director of Medicine and Surgery of the U.S. Veterans Administration by President Dwight D. Eisenhower.  Under his Administration, he developed programs that improved treatment of cardiovascular diseases, mental healthcare and access to physical rehabilitation services for Veterans.  He encouraged close affiliations between VA medical facilities and medical schools.  Before his retirement, more than 70 medical schools conducted training at VA facilities; an innovative partnership that still continues today.

Later Life

In 1963, Middleton returned to UW as Dean and Professor of Medicine Emeritus and served as a consultant to the Madison VA Hospital.  In his free-time, he enjoyed playing handball and tennis and swam in Lake Mendota every summer until he was 81.  One of his favorite words was “splendid.”

At age 85, Middleton died of pneumonia at the Madison VA Hospital in 1975. On September 23, 1976 the U.S. Senate renamed the Madison VA Hospital the William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital.