Joseph Jorgensen (February 11, 1844 – January 21, 1888) was a

U.S. 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 c ...

from

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

Biography

Born in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 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 ...

, Jorgensen graduated from the medical department of the University of Pennsylvania in 1865. He served as a cadet surgeon in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

in the latter part of the Civil War, from 1864 to 1865, rising to acting assistant surgeon, in mid-1865, and again serving from 1867 to 1870. He served as a member of the Virginia house of delegates from Prince Edward County from 1872 to 1873. He moved to

Petersburg, Virginia Petersburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 33,458. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines Petersburg (along with the city of Colonial Heights) with Din ...

. He was appointed postmaster of

, May 21, 1874 – June 8, 1877, when he resigned, having been elected to Congress. Jorgensen 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 Forty-fifth and to the two succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1877 – March 3, 1883). He served as chairman of the Committee on Mileage (Forty-seventh Congress). He served as delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1880. He was appointed register of the land office at

Walla Walla, Washington Walla Walla is a city in Walla Walla County, Washington, where it is the largest city and county seat. It had a population of 34,060 at the 2020 census, estimated to have decreased to 33,927 as of 2021. The population of the city and its two su ...

, by President Arthur February 27, 1883, and served until removed by President Cleveland in 1886. He died on January 21, 1888, in Portland, Oreg.. He was interred in Mountain View Cemetery,

Electoral history

*1876; Jorgensen was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives with 51.91% of the vote, defeating Democrat William E. Hunton and Independent Republican M.R. De Mortie. *1878; Jorgensen was re-elected with 60.71% of the vote, defeating Democrat William E. Hinton, Jr. *1880; Jorgensen was re-elected with 70.1% of the vote, defeating Democrat Samuel F. Coleman and Independent William Ewan Cameron.

Sources

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jorgensen, Joseph 1844 births 1888 deaths Politicians from Walla Walla, Washington United States Army Medical Corps officers Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania alumni 19th-century American politicians Burials in Washington (state) Washington (state) Republicans