James Somerville McLester
Born	January 25, 1877 Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Died	February 8, 1954 Birmingham, Alabama
Occupation(s)	Physician, nutritionist

James Somerville McLester (January 25, 1877 – February 8, 1954) was an American physician, nutritionist and writer.

McLester was born at Tuscaloosa, Alabama. ^[1] He was educated at the University of Alabama and graduated M.D. from the University of Virginia in 1899. ^{[2] [3]} McLester studied medicine at Göttingen, Freiburg, Berlin and Munich. ^[4] In 1902, he was appointed professor of pathology at Birmingham Medical College. ^[1] He became professor of medicine, a post he held until 1912. He was appointed professor of medicine at the University of Alabama School of Medicine. He became professor emeritus in 1949. ^[1]

During World War I, McLester was commissioned as First Lieutenant in the Medical Reserve Corps. ^[2] He was promoted in 1918 to Lieutenant Colonel and Colonel in 1919. ^[2] McLester received a LL.D. degree from the University of Alabama in 1929. ^[2] McLester was president of the Alabama Medical Association in 1920. ^[5] He was Chairman of the Council on Food and Nutrition of the American Medical Association and was president in 1935. ^[1]

He married Ada Bowron in 1903, they had four children. ^[2] McLester was described as "one of the nation's outstanding nutritionists". ^[6] In 1953, he was awarded the Joseph Goldberger Gold Medal for outstanding work in clinical nutrition by trustees of the American Medical Association. ^{[2] [7]} McLester died from coronary thrombosis in Birmingham, Alabama. ^[8]

A portrait of McLester was unveiled in January, 2018 in the main lobby of the UAB Community Health Services Building at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. ^[9]

Selected publications

• The Diagnosis and Treatment of Disorder of Metabolism (1928)
• Nutrition and Diet in Health and Disease (1931, 1949)

References