Fame, Exploitation, and the Tragedy of America’s First Black Quadruplets

The Fultz Quads: Fame, Exploitation, and the Tragedy of America’s First Black Quadruplets

​On May 23, 1946, history was made in North Carolina with the birth of the Fultz sisters. Weighing just three pounds each, Mary Louise, Mary Ann, Mary Alice, and Mary Catherine became the first recorded identical African American quadruplets.
​While their survival was a medical marvel in an era before modern fertility treatments, their lives quickly became a complex tale of corporate exploitation, medical experimentation, and structural vulnerability.

​A Birth Overshadowed by Exploitation

​The quadruplets were born to Pete and Annie Mae Fultz, a financially strapped sharecropping couple already raising six children. Because Annie Mae was deaf and mute, and neither parent could read, their attending physician, Dr. Fred Klenner, quickly seized control of the situation.
​Dr. Klenner took it upon himself to name the infants, giving them all the first name “Mary” followed by names from his own family. Capitalizing on the media sensation surrounding the rare birth, he placed the infants in a glass-enclosed nursery at the family home, charging curious onlookers admission to view the newborn sisters.

​Corporate Sponsorship and Medical Experiments

​Recognizing a unique marketing opportunity to target Black consumers, the Pet Milk Company approached Dr. Klenner to secure an endorsement deal. The parents, unable to read the contracts, had little say in the arrangement. The company required the infants to be taken off breastmilk and raised exclusively on Pet Milk formula.
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Simultaneously, Dr. Klenner used the girls as subjects for his unorthodox “Vitamin C therapy.” Having previously given Mrs. Fultz massive doses of the vitamin during pregnancy, he continued to inject the developing girls with dangerously high levels of Vitamin C, falsely claiming it was the secret to their health.
​In exchange for their likeness, Pet Milk promised the family a new home, a farm, a nurse, and a monthly stipend of $350. However, the corporate promises quickly fell short. The “farm” was located on barren, uncultivable land, and the monthly financial compensation was abruptly stopped after only a few months.

​The Price of Celebrity and a Shared Destiny

​From 1947 to 1968, the Fultz sisters were national celebrities. They traveled the country promoting formula, modeled for major magazines, appeared in parades, and met prominent figures like Presidents Harry Truman and John F. Kennedy.
​However, the pressure of fame and the financial strain on the biological family took a heavy toll. In 1952, overwhelmed by the care of ten children, the Fultz parents allowed the girls to be legally adopted by their nurse, Alma Saylor, and her husband Charles.
​As they entered adulthood, the sisters attempted to build lives away from the spotlight. They attended Bethune-Cookman University on music scholarships but were forced to drop out after two years due to health issues. They eventually found quiet careers as nurse’s aides.
​The final tragedy of the Fultz sisters lies in their health. All four sisters developed breast cancer, leading to untimely deaths. Mary Louise passed away in 1991 at age 45, followed by Mary Ann in 1995 at 49, Mary Alice in 2001 at 55, and finally, Mary Catherine in 2018 at 72. Their legacy remains a powerful reminder of the historical intersection between medical ethics, race, and corporate marketing.