Founder Profile
Dr. Thomas F. Frist Jr.
Last reviewed: October 2026 · By Swet Parvadiya
Who is Dr. Thomas F. Frist Jr.?
Dr. Thomas F. Frist Jr. is a founder of HCA Healthcare, Inc., which was founded in 1968 with Dr. Thomas F. Frist Sr. and Jack C. Massey.
- Company founded
- HCA Healthcare, Inc.
- Founded
- 1968
- Co-founders
- Dr. Thomas F. Frist Sr. and Jack C. Massey
Background
Medical degree from Washington University in St. Louis; flight surgeon in the U.S. Air Force before co-founding HCA.
Founding Story
Dr. Thomas F. Frist Jr. is a physician and former U.S. Air Force flight surgeon who co-founded HCA in 1968. He served as president, CEO and chairman at various points, led the 1989 management buyout, and his family joined Bain Capital, KKR and Merrill Lynch in the 2006 buyout of the company. He remains one of HCA's best-known figures and a major Nashville philanthropist.
Dr. Thomas F. Frist Jr. was born in 1938. Education: Vanderbilt University; Montgomery Bell Academy.
Thomas Fearn Frist Jr. was born on August 12, 1938. He is described as the wealthiest person in Tennessee.