John Thomas Averill (March 1, 1825 – October 3, 1889) was a United States Army officer in the American Civil War who later became a U.S. congressional representative from Minnesota.Eicher, John H., and Eicher, David J., Civil War High Commands, Stanford University Press, 2001, .

Early life and education

Averill was born in

Alna, Maine Alna is a town in Lincoln County, Maine, United States. The population was 710 at the 2020 census. Alna is home to the Wiscasset, Waterville and Farmington Railway Museum and is noted for its historic architecture, including the early mill villa ...

, March 1, 1825. He moved with his parents to

Montville, Maine Montville is a town in Waldo County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,020 at the 2020 census. History Montville was incorporated on February 18, 1807, and was named for the French word for "mountain town". Geography According to the U ...

, in 1838 and graduated from the

Maine Wesleyan Seminary Kents Hill School (also known as Kents Hill or KHS) is a co-educational, independent college-preparatory school for boarding and day students. Kents Hill is located in Kents Hill, Maine, 12 miles west of the state capital of Augusta, Maine, August ...

Readfield Readfield (/ˈɹid fild/) is a town in Kennebec County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,597 at the 2020 census. Readfield is home to the Kents Hill School, a preparatory school, Maranacook Community Schools, public schools for the dis ...

in 1846. He taught school for a short time, and subsequently engaged in lumbering for one year. Averill then moved to Winthrop, Maine, and engaged in mercantile pursuits for three years. In 1852 he moved to northern Pennsylvania and again engaged in lumbering until 1857, when he settled in Lake City, Minnesota. Once there, he engaged in mercantile pursuits and the grain business; was a member of the Minnesota Senate 1858–1860.

Career

On August 22, 1862, Averill was commissioned as a lieutenant colonel of the

6th Minnesota Infantry Regiment The 6th Minnesota Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that fought in the Union army during the American Civil War. The 6th Minnesota Infantry spent much of the war in the Northwest fighting Dakota Indians rather than participating in the ba ...

. He was promoted to colonel on November 22, 1864, and was assigned as

Provost Marshal General The provost marshal general (pronounced "provo") is a United States Army staff position that handles investigations of U.S. Army personnel. It is the highest-ranking provost marshal position in the U.S. Army, reporting to the Chief of Staff of ...

for the District of Minnesota. He was honorably mustered out on September 28, 1865; and was made a

brevet Brevet may refer to: Military * Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay * Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college * Aircre ...

brigadier general on October 18, 1865. In 1866, he moved to

St. Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississippi River, Saint Paul is a regional business hub and the center o ...

, and engaged in the wholesale paper and stationery business. He was a member of the Republican National Committee from 1868 through 1880; elected as a Republican to the

42nd 4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures. In mathematics Four is the smallest c ...

and 43rd congresses (March 4, 1871 – March 3, 1875); He was chairman of the

Committee on Indian Affairs The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs is a committee of the United States Senate charged with oversight in matters related to the American Indian, Native Hawaiian, and Alaska Native peoples. A Committee on Indian Affairs existed from 1820 to 1 ...

(Forty-third Congress); was not a candidate for renomination in 1874.

Later life and death

Averill resumed his business activities in

, where he died on October 3, 1889; interred at the Oakland Cemetery. He is the namesake of the community of

Averill, Minnesota Averill is an unincorporated community in Clay County, in the U.S. state of Minnesota. History A post office was established at Averill in 1899, and remained in operation until being discontinued in 1969. The community was named for John T. Ave ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Averill, John 1825 births 1889 deaths Republican Party Minnesota state senators People from Alna, Maine Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Minnesota 19th-century American politicians Union Army colonels People from Montville, Maine People from Lake City, Minnesota Businesspeople from Saint Paul, Minnesota People of Minnesota in the American Civil War 19th-century American businesspeople