John Avery (February 29, 1824 – January 21, 1914) was a

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

and

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

from the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

. He served two terms in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from 1893 to 1897.

Early life and education

Avery was born in

Watertown, New York Watertown is a city in, and the county seat of, Jefferson County, New York, United States. It is approximately south of the Thousand Islands, along the Black River about east of where it flows into Lake Ontario. The city is bordered by th ...

and moved with his parents to Michigan in 1836. He attended the common schools and entered Grass Lake Academy in

Jackson Jackson may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jackson (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Qu ...

, where he studied medicine for two years. He graduated from the Cleveland Medical College in 1850 and commenced the practice of medicine in

Ionia, Michigan Ionia is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Ionia County, Michigan, United States. The population was 13,378 at the 2020 census. Every July it hosts what is said to be the world's largest free-admission fair. The city is mostly within ...

. He then moved to

Otsego, Michigan Otsego is a city in Allegan County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 3,956 at the 2010 census. The city is within Otsego Township, but is administratively autonomous. Otsego is situated on M-89 about three miles (5 km) we ...

, in 1852 and continued the practice of his profession.

Civil War service

During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

, he was assistant surgeon and surgeon of the Twenty-first Regiment, Michigan Volunteer Infantry. He served in the

Army of the Cumberland The Army of the Cumberland was one of the principal Union armies in the Western Theater during the American Civil War. It was originally known as the Army of the Ohio. History The origin of the Army of the Cumberland dates back to the creation ...

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

and

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

and was with General

William Tecumseh Sherman William Tecumseh Sherman ( ; February 8, 1820February 14, 1891) was an American soldier, businessman, educator, and author. He served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War (1861–1865), achieving recognition for his com ...

on his March to the Sea, as well as during the subsequent

Carolinas Campaign The campaign of the Carolinas (January 1 – April 26, 1865), also known as the Carolinas campaign, was the final campaign conducted by the United States Army (Union Army) against the Confederate States Army in the Western Theater. On January ...

Political career

He settled in

Greenville, Michigan Greenville is a city in Montcalm County of the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 8,816 at the 2020 census. History Greenville is named after its founder, John Green, who settled in the wilderness of the southwest part of Montcalm Cou ...

, in 1868 and again engaged in the practice of medicine. He was a member of the

Michigan State House of Representatives The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower house of the Michigan Legislature. There are 110 members, each of whom is elected from constituencies having approximately 77,000 to 91,000 residents, based on population figures from the 2010 U ...

in 1869 and 1870. He was appointed a member of the State Board of Health in 1880 and was reappointed in 1886. Avery was elected as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

to the

for the Fifty-third and Fifty-fourth Congresses, serving from March 4, 1893 to March 3, 1897. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1896. After leaving Congress, Avery went back to Greenville and returned to the practice of medicine. He died at the age of eighty-nine and was interred at Forest Home Cemetery of Greenville.

References

The Political Graveyard

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Avery, John 1824 births 1914 deaths Union Army surgeons Burials in Michigan 19th-century American physicians Republican Party members of the Michigan House of Representatives Politicians from Watertown, New York People of Michigan in the American Civil War Physicians from Michigan Physicians from New York (state) Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Michigan 19th-century American politicians People from Otsego, Michigan People from Greenville, Michigan People from Ionia, Michigan