# Richard Herrick

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First successful organ transplant recipient (1931–1963)

For the U.S. Representative from New York, see [Richard P. Herrick](/source/Richard_P._Herrick). For the Anglican priest, see [Dick Herrick](/source/Dick_Herrick).

**Richard J. Herrick** (June 15, 1931 – March 14, 1963) was an American who gained worldwide recognition as the first beneficiary of a successful human [organ transplant](/source/Organ_transplant).

Herrick suffered from [kidney disease](/source/Kidney_disease). Under the direction of [Joseph Murray](/source/Joseph_Murray), [J. Hartwell Harrison](/source/J._Hartwell_Harrison), and John Merrill, Herrick underwent a groundbreaking surgical procedure. This operation, conducted on December 23, 1954, facilitated by the donation of a kidney from his identical [twin](/source/Twin) brother Ronald, represented a significant advancement in medical science. Following the transplant, he experienced an extension of life by eight years until succumbing to a fatal [heart attack](/source/Myocardial_infarction) at the age of 31.[1][2][3]

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["Richard J. Herrick"](https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/51386928). Find A Grave. Retrieved 8 January 2013.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["A transplant makes history"](https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2011/09/a-transplant-makes-history/). The Harvard Gazette. 22 September 2011. Retrieved 22 September 2011.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** "[Would You Sell Your Extra Kidney?](https://www.wired.com/story/kidney-donor-compensation-market)" by Dylan Walsh, *WIRED*. January 5, 2023. Accessed March 7, 2023.

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