John Valentine Mershon (July 7, 1867 – 1953) was an American orthodontist who graduated from

Angle School of Orthodontia Angle School of Orthodontia was the first school of orthodontics in the world, established by Edward Angle in 1899. The school taught its students orthodontics over a period of 3–6 weeks. The school graduated 183 students until it closed in 1927. ...

in 1908. He is the past president of

American Association of Orthodontists Founded in 1900, the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) is the world's oldest and largest dental specialty organization. It represents nearly 19,000 orthodontist members throughout the United States, Canada and abroad. All orthodontists are ...

. Mershon helped organize First International Orthodontic Congress in 1926 and served as its honorary president.

Life

Mershon was born in Penn Manor District in

Lancaster, Pennsylvania Lancaster, ( ; pdc, Lengeschder) is a city in and the county seat of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. It is one of the oldest inland cities in the United States. With a population at the 2020 census of 58,039, it ranks 11th in population amon ...

, in 1867, the youngest sibling of nine. He obtained his dental degree from

Pennsylvania College of Dental Surgery The Pennsylvania College of Dental Surgery (sometimes referred to informally as the Pennsylvania Dental College) was founded in 1856 in Philadelphia and was the second oldest operating school of dentistry in the United States by the time of its clos ...

in 1889. He served as a faculty member at the school for many years, and also practiced as a private dentist in the area. In 1896, he married Harriet Lane Worrall. He then attended Angle School of Orthodontia in 1908 and then became one of the first orthodontists in eastern Pennsylvania. He also served as head of orthodontics at the University of Pennsylvania from 1916 to 1925. He served as president of

, the Northeastern Society of Orthodontists, the Philadelphia Orthodontic Society, where he was their first president, and the Philadelphia Academy of Stomatology. Mershon was credited in organizing short refresher and extension courses for the members of the dental societies. He also developed the removable lingual arch appliance. In honor of Mershon, in 1960 American Association of Orthodontists established an annual series of lectures.

Awards

* Jarvie Medal and Fellowship by the Dental Society of the State of New York in 1930 * Doctor of Science (honorary) by the University of Pennsylvania in 1933 * Albert Ketcham Award in 1937.

References

American orthodontists People from Lancaster, Pennsylvania 1867 births 1953 deaths Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania alumni {{US-med-bio-stub