John Cochran (September 1, 1730 – April 6, 1807) was the 4th

Surgeon General of the United States Army The Surgeon General of the United States Army is the senior-most officer of the U.S. Army Medical Department (AMEDD). By policy, the Surgeon General (TSG) serves as Commanding General, U.S. Army Medical Command (MEDCOM) as well as head of the ...

during the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...

. He was president of the

Medical Society of New Jersey The Medical Society of New Jersey was founded on July 23, 1766. It is the oldest professional society in the United States. History It was founded as the ''New Jersey Medical Society'' on July 23, 1766, at a meeting in Duff's Tavern, New Brunswick ...

from 1769 to 1770, and was re-elected in 1770 and served until 1771.

Biography

Cochran was born in Sadsbury,

Chester County Chester County may refer to: * Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States * Chester County, South Carolina, United States * Chester County, Tennessee, United States * Cheshire or the County Palatine of Chester, a ceremonial county in the North Wes ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, on September 1, 1730, the son of Irish immigrants. He served as physician under Lieutenant-Colonel

John Bradstreet Major General John Bradstreet, born Jean-Baptiste Bradstreet (21 December 1714 – 25 September 1774) was a British Army officer during King George's War, the French and Indian War, and Pontiac's War. He was born in Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia ...

during his march on

Fort Frontenac Fort Frontenac was a French trading post and military fort built in July 1673 at the mouth of the Cataraqui River where the St. Lawrence River leaves Lake Ontario (at what is now the western end of the La Salle Causeway), in a location tradition ...

in 1758. He was president of the

from 1769 to 1770, and was re-elected in 1770 and served until 1771. On April 10, 1777, Cochran was made Physician & Surgeon General of the Middle Department of the Medical Department of the Continental Army. Subsequently, he became Physician and Surgeon General of the Continental Army and Director General of the Hospitals of the United States (January 17, 1781 to 1783). Because of the infighting and other troubles of his three predecessors as Surgeon General, he is considered by some military medical historians as the "best of the Revolutionary period chief physicians."

Personal life

Cochran was married to Geertruy "Gertrude" Schuyler (1724–1813), a widow who was the eldest daughter of Cornelia (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Van Cortlandt) Schuyler and Johannes Schuyler Jr., the

mayor of Albany From its formal chartering on 22 July 1686 until 1779, the mayors of Albany, New York, were appointed by the royal governor of New York, per the provisions of the original city charter, issued by Governor Thomas Dongan. From 1779 until 1839, may ...

from 1740 to 1741. Gertrude was the sister of Gen.

Philip Schuyler Philip John Schuyler (; November 18, 1804) was an American general in the Revolutionary War and a United States Senator from New York. He is usually known as Philip Schuyler, while his son is usually known as Philip J. Schuyler. Born in Alba ...

and the widow Pieter P. Schuyler (1723–1753), her cousin and the grandson of

Pieter Schuyler Pieter Schuyler (17 September 1657 – 19 February 1724) was the first mayor of Albany, New York. A long-serving member of the executive council of the Province of New York, he acted as governor of the Province of New York on three occasions ...

, with whom she had two children (Cornelia, the wife of

Walter Livingston Walter Livingston (November 27, 1740 – May 14, 1797) was an American merchant, lawyer and politician. Early life He was a son of Robert Livingston (1708–1790), 3rd Lord of Livingston Manor, and Maria Thong Livingston (1711–1765), a grand ...

and Pieter Jr., the wife of Gertrude Lansing). Together, Gertrude and John were the parents of: * James Cochran (1769–1848), who married Catherine Van Rensselaer Schuyler (1781–1857), his first cousin and daughter of

He died on April 6, 1807 in

Palatine, New York Town of Palatine is a town in Montgomery County, New York, United States. It is located on the north side of the Mohawk River in the northwestern part of the county. The population was 3,240 at the 2010 census, the highest since the 1820s. The ...

Legacy

Cochran's descendants added a final ''e'' to the family name. His grandson was Congressman, general, and New York State Attorney General John Cochrane. Cochran is buried at Forest Hill Cemetery in Utica.Forest Hill Cemetery, Official website
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References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cochran, John 1730 births 1807 deaths American people of Irish descent People from Chester County, Pennsylvania People of colonial New Jersey People of New Jersey in the American Revolution People of New Jersey in the French and Indian War Physicians in the American Revolution Surgeons General of the United States Army Physicians from New Jersey Presidents of the Medical Society of New Jersey Burials at Forest Hill Cemetery (Utica, New York)