John S. Heath (1807–1849) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

physician and politician who served two terms in the

Michigan House of Representatives The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower house of the Michigan Legislature. There are 110 members, each of whom is elected from constituencies having approximately 77,000 to 91,000 residents, based on population figures from the 2010 ...

Biography

John Heath was born in Hillsborough, New Hampshire, in 1807, the son of blacksmith Sargent Heath. He was a schoolmate of President

Franklin Pierce Franklin Pierce (November 23, 1804October 8, 1869) was the 14th president of the United States, serving from 1853 to 1857. He was a northern Democrat who believed that the abolitionist movement was a fundamental threat to the nation's unity ...

, and went on to study medicine in Glens Falls, New York. He moved to St. Clair, Michigan, with his father in 1833, and from 1835 to 1836, he co-edited the ''St. Clair Republican''. In 1836, he moved from St. Clair to

Port Huron, Michigan Port Huron is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of St. Clair County. The population was 30,184 at the 2010 census. The city is adjacent to Port Huron Township but is administered separately. Located along the St. Clair ...

, and he also owned mills and manufactured lumber at Pointe Aux Barques. He married Marilda James, daughter of pioneer Horatio James. Heath was elected to the

in the first election under the state's new constitution in 1835, and re-elected to a second term. He served as justice of the peace in 1839, as postmaster of Port Huron, as collector of customs, and as sheriff of St. Clair County in 1843 and 1844. In 1841 he began teaching at the first district school in Port Huron. He served as a supervisor of Port Huron Township in 1842, and was appointed a commissioner of the Detroit & Port Huron Plank Road Company in March 1844. Heath drowned returning in a small boat from his mills to Port Huron in March 1849. The boat was later found washed ashore 10 to 12 miles up the coast from

Lexington, Michigan Lexington is a village in Sanilac County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,178 at the 2010 census. The village is located within Lexington Township. Geography * According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a ...

, with one of its masts missing. Two of Heath's employees and Peter Shook, the lighthouse keeper at Pointe Aux Barques, on his way to Detroit for supplies, also drowned.

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References

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Heath, John S. 1807 births 1849 deaths People from Michigan Territory Members of the Michigan House of Representatives Deaths by drowning in the United States People from Hillsborough, New Hampshire 19th-century American legislators People from St. Clair, Michigan People from Port Huron, Michigan