John Gallagher Montgomery (June 27, 1805 – April 24, 1857) was a lawyer who represented
Pennsylvania in the
U.S. Congress briefly in 1857.
Biography
Montgomery was born in
Northumberland, Pennsylvania on June 27, 1805. After studying under a private tutor, he graduated from Washington College (now
Washington and Jefferson College) in
Washington, Pennsylvania, 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
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts.
It ...
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 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
Foodborne illness (also foodborne disease and food poisoning) is any illness resulting from the spoilage of contaminated food by pathogenic bacteria, viruses, or parasites that contaminate food,
as well as prions (the agents of mad cow disease) ...
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 was erected in his honor at the
Congressional Cemetery in Washington, D.C.
See also
*
*
List of United States Congress members killed or wounded in office
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