Townshend v. Gray
Vermont Supreme Court
19 A. 635 (1890)
- Written by Jennifer Flinn, JD
Facts
Townshend (plaintiff) graduated with an M.D. from Vermont Medical College. The Vermont State Eclectic Medical Society (the Medical Society) refused to issue her a license to practice medicine in the state because Vermont Medical College had no authority to issue M.D.s. The Vermont Medical College was organized under a Vermont law that allowed for a corporation to establish and maintain a literary or scientific institution. The law also allowed such a corporation to have a corporate name and seal, to adopt by-laws, to sue and be sued, to hold real estate, to raise money, and to divide stock into shares. The statute did not expressly allow such corporations to confer degrees. Townshend filed a petition for a writ of mandamus to force the Medical Society to issue her a license to practice medicine.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Powers, J.)
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