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Biography · Business & Enterprise

John Alexander Somerville

1882–1972

United States

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Biography

John Alexander Somerville, D.D.S. (1882 – February 11, 1972) was an African American Civil rights activist, dentist, and entrepreneur. A well-known community figure in Los Angeles, Somerville was an accomplished dentist who went on to co-found the Los Angeles branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. He is most well known for building Hotel Somerville, now known as Dunbar Hotel.

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Black heritage reference ↗

Biography text · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source checked 2026-10-13

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