John Gallagher Montgomery (June 27, 1805 – April 24, 1857) was a lawyer who represented
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, ...
in the
U.S. Congress
The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washin ...
briefly in 1857.
Biography
Montgomery was born in
Northumberland, Pennsylvania
Northumberland is a borough in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 3,804 at the 2010 census.
History
A brewer named Reuben Haines, a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, founded the town of Northumberland in ...
on June 27, 1805. After studying under a private tutor, he graduated from Washington College (now
Washington and Jefferson College
Washington & Jefferson College (W&J College or W&J) is a private liberal arts college in Washington, Pennsylvania. The college traces its origin to three log cabin colleges in Washington County established by three Presbyterian missionaries to ...
) in
Washington, Pennsylvania
Washington is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Pennsylvania. A part of the Greater Pittsburgh area in the southwestern part of the state, the city is home to Washington & Jefferson College and Pony League baseball. The populat ...
, in 1824. He then studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1827 and commenced practice in Danville.
He was a member of the
Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 1855.
Montgomery was elected as a Democrat to the
Thirty-fifth Congress and served until his death. He attended the inauguration dinner for
President Buchanan
James Buchanan Jr. ( ; April 23, 1791June 1, 1868) was an American lawyer, diplomat and politician who served as the 15th president of the United States from 1857 to 1861. He previously served as secretary of state from 1845 to 1849 and repr ...
at the
National Hotel where he was reported to have been deliberately poisoned, along with many other attendees. This incident is now known as
National Hotel Disease, and is believed to have been caused by
food poisoning related to poor sanitation.
Death and interment
Montgomery returned home ill, and died at Danville five weeks later. He was interred at the Episcopal Cemetery in Danville. A
Cenotaph
A cenotaph is an empty tomb or a monument erected in honour of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been reinterred elsewhere. Although the vast majority of cenot ...
was erected in his honor at the
Congressional Cemetery
The Congressional Cemetery, officially Washington Parish Burial Ground, is a historic and active cemetery located at 1801 E Street, SE, in Washington, D.C., on the west bank of the Anacostia River. It is the only American "cemetery of national m ...
in Washington, D.C.
See also
*
List of United States Congress members who died in office (1790–1899)
*
References
The Political Graveyard
{{DEFAULTSORT:Montgomery, John G.
1805 births
1857 deaths
19th-century American lawyers
19th-century American legislators
Burials at the Congressional Cemetery
Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania
Democratic Party members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Pennsylvania lawyers
People from Danville, Pennsylvania
People from Northumberland, Pennsylvania
Washington & Jefferson College alumni
Deaths from dysentery