John Gould Stephenson (March 1, 1828 – November 11, 1883) was an American physician and soldier. He was the fifth

Librarian A librarian is a person who works professionally in a library providing access to information, and sometimes social or technical programming, or instruction on information literacy to users. The role of the librarian has changed much over time ...

of the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...

from 1861 to 1864. He was referred to as the "librarian of the Civil War era" because Stephenson's tenure of librarianship covered almost the entire length of the war.

Biography

Stephenson was born in

Lancaster, New Hampshire Lancaster is a town located along the Connecticut River in Coös County, New Hampshire, United States. The town is named after the city of Lancaster in England. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 3,218, the second largest in the coun ...

, to Ruben Stephenson and his wife Mary King Baker. As an adult, he wanted to pursue a medical education. After training at the New Hampshire Medical Institution and

Castleton Medical College The Castleton Medical College Building, now known as the Old Chapel, is a historic building of the Castleton Medical College on Seminary Street in Castleton, Vermont, United States. Founded in 1818, it was the first medical college in Vermont, an ...

, he moved to Terre Haute, Indiana, and became active in Republican Party politics. He was among the first faculty members at Vigo Collegiate Institute. Stephenson was a staunch abolitionist and supported the election of

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

during his failed senatorial campaign against

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

Stephen A. Douglas Stephen Arnold Douglas (April 23, 1813 – June 3, 1861) was an American politician and lawyer from Illinois. A senator, he was one of two nominees of the badly split Democratic Party for president in the 1860 presidential election, which wa ...

in 1858. Two years later, Stephenson delivered speeches in support Lincoln when he ran for president as a Republican. Upon his election, President Lincoln appointed him to the post of Librarian of Congress, replacing John Silva Meehan. The historical record of the library is unclear as to why the physician sought appointment to this post. Stephenson spent most of his time serving as a

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

in the Union Army during the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, first with the 19th

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

Regiment and later with the

Army of the Potomac The Army of the Potomac was the principal Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was created in July 1861 shortly after the First Battle of Bull Run and was disbanded in June 1865 following the surrender of the Confede ...

, participating in the Battles of Fitzhugh Crossing, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg. He distinguished himself by rallying troops and volunteering his services as a general's aide. His most significant act was appointing Ainsworth Rand Spofford as chief assistant librarian. Spofford would later succeed Stephenson as librarian and was responsible for the transition of the library from a congressional resource to a national institution. During his tenure, the library was forced to house bakeries to make bread for Union troops stationed in the District of Columbia. Stephenson took his complaint directly to President Lincoln and convinced him to remove the bakeries. Following his resignation in 1864, Stephenson fell into obscurity as he held several political positions, including medical reviewer at the Pension Office.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stephenson, John Gould 1828 births 1883 deaths People from Lancaster, New Hampshire Physicians from Indiana Librarians of Congress People of Indiana in the American Civil War People from Terre Haute, Indiana Indiana Republicans Burials at the Congressional Cemetery American abolitionists