John Moffet (April 5, 1831 – June 19, 1884) was an Irish-American politician who served as a Democratic member of the

U.S. 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 ...

for

Pennsylvania's 3rd congressional district Pennsylvania's third congressional district includes several areas of the city of Philadelphia, including West Philadelphia, most of Center City, and parts of North Philadelphia. It has been represented by Democrat Dwight Evans since 2019. With ...

. The election was contested by Leonard Myers on the grounds that several wards in Philadelphia submitted false results. The House of Representatives conducted an investigation and voted that Myers was the winner. Mofett only served from March 4, 1869 to April 9, 1869.

Early life and education

Moffet was born in County Antrim, Ireland. He immigrated to 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 territorie ...

with his parents, who settled in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. He studied

medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pract ...

at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

and became an

apothecary ''Apothecary'' () is a mostly archaic term for a medical professional who formulates and dispenses '' materia medica'' (medicine) to physicians, surgeons, and patients. The modern chemist (British English) or pharmacist (British and North Ameri ...

in 1853.

Career

He served as director and controller of the public schools in Philadelphia from 1860 to 1869. He ran as the Democratic party candidate for Pennsylvania's 3rd congressional district and on October 13, 1869, was determined the winner over Leonard Myers. On November 12, Myers contested the election on the grounds that several wards in the city of Philadelphia submitted false election results. Ater witnesses were interviewed and depositions given, the House of Representative voted that Myers was the winner of the election. Moffet only served one month, from March 4, 1869 to April 9, 1869. He died on June 19, 1884, in Philadelphia and was interred at

Laurel Hill Cemetery Laurel Hill Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery in the East Falls neighborhood of Philadelphia. Founded in 1836, it was the second major rural cemetery in the United States after Mount Auburn Cemetery in Boston, Massachusetts. The cemetery is ...

References

Citations Sources *
Myers Vs. Moffet. Papers in the Case of Leonard Myers Vs. John Moffet, Relative to the Contest for a Seat in the 41st Congress as a Representative from the Third District of Pennsylvania
', 1869 *

External links

Grave
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moffet, John 1831 births 1884 deaths 19th-century American legislators Burials at Laurel Hill Cemetery (Philadelphia) Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania Irish emigrants to the United States Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania alumni Politicians from County Antrim Politicians from Philadelphia American apothecaries 19th-century American pharmacists