John McCreath Farquhar (April 17, 1832 – April 24, 1918) was a

United States Representative 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 New York and a recipient of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

military's highest decoration, the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valo ...

Biography

Born near

Ayr Ayr (; sco, Ayr; gd, Inbhir Àir, "Mouth of the River Ayr") is a town situated on the southwest coast of Scotland. It is the administrative centre of the South Ayrshire Subdivisions of Scotland, council area and the historic Shires of Scotlan ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

, Farquhar attended

Ayr Academy Ayr Academy (Scottish Gaelic: ''Acadamaidh Inbhir Àir'') is a non-denominational secondary school situated within the Craigie Estate area at University Avenue in Ayr, South Ayrshire. It is a comprehensive school for children of ages 11–18 from ...

. He immigrated to the United States as a boy and settled in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...

. He was a printer, editor, and publisher for 33 years. He served as president of the

International Typographical Union The International Typographical Union (ITU) was a US trade union for the printing trade for newspapers and other media. It was founded on May 3, 1852, in the United States as the National Typographical Union, and changed its name to the Interna ...

from 1860 to 1862. During the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, Farquhar enlisted from

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, into the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

on August 9, 1862, as a private in Company B of the 89th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment. He was promoted to

Sergeant Major Sergeant major is a senior non-commissioned rank or appointment in many militaries around the world. History In 16th century Spain, the ("sergeant major") was a general officer. He commanded an army's infantry, and ranked about third in th ...

and, on December 31, 1862, earned the Medal of Honor at the

Battle of Stones River The Battle of Stones River, also known as the Second Battle of Murfreesboro, was a battle fought from December 31, 1862, to January 2, 1863, in Middle Tennessee, as the culmination of the Stones River Campaign in the Western Theater of the Am ...

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 ...

. His official citation reads: "When a break occurred on the extreme right wing of 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 ...

, this soldier rallied fugitives from other commands, and deployed his own regiment, thereby checking the

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

advance until a new line was established." His medal was not awarded until several decades later, on August 6, 1902. Promoted again to Major, Farquhar served as a

judge advocate Judge-advocates are military lawyers serving in different capacities in the military justice systems of different jurisdictions. Australia The Australian Army Legal Corps (AALC) consists of Regular and Reserve commissioned officers that prov ...

and inspector in the IV Corps. After his military service, he returned to Buffalo, New York, and resumed his business activities. Farquhar 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 49th, 50th, and 51st Congresses (March 4, 1885 – March 3, 1891). He served as chairman of the

Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries The United States House Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries is a defunct committee of the U.S. House of Representatives. The Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries was created on December 21, 1887, replacing the Select Committee on Ameri ...

during the 51st Congress. He was not a candidate for renomination to the 52nd Congress. He served as a member of the

United States Industrial Commission {{Distinguish, Industrial Relations Commission The Industrial Commission was a United States government body in existence from 1898 to 1902. It was appointed by President William McKinley to investigate railroad pricing policy, industrial concentr ...

from 1898 to 1902, before retiring from public life and active business pursuits. Farquhar died in Buffalo at age 86 and was interred there in Forest Lawn Cemetery.

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Sergeant Major, 89th Illinois Infantry. Place and date: At Stone River, Tenn., December 31, 1862. Entered service at: Chicago, Ill. Birth: Scotland. Date of issue: August 6, 1902. Citation:

When a break occurred on the extreme right wing of the Army of the Cumberland, this soldier rallied fugitives from other commands, and deployed his own regiment, thereby checking the Confederate advance until a new line was established.

References

Retrieved on 2008-01-31 * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Farquhar, John Maccreath 1832 births 1918 deaths United States Army Medal of Honor recipients People from South Ayrshire Politicians from Buffalo, New York Scottish emigrants to the United States Union Army officers Scottish-born Medal of Honor recipients People educated at Ayr Academy American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) 19th-century American politicians Military personnel from Buffalo, New York International Typographical Union people

Biography

Medal of Honor citation

See also

References