Dr. Moses Amos

Born in 1866 as a free man in Georgia, Moses Amos rose from a young apprentice to become the state’s first licensed Black pharmacist. After beginning his career under Dr. Jacob C. Huss and later managing a drugstore for Dr. Butler and Dr. Slater, Amos eventually purchased the business and renamed it the Gate City Drug Store in 1914. Over a 50-year career, he filled over a million prescriptions and became a prominent Atlanta entrepreneur known for his social impact. Beyond his commercial success, Amos was a trailblazer in workforce equity—hiring some of the city's first Black women clerks—and served as a vital mentor, training a new generation of Black medical and pharmaceutical professionals.