Lewis Fields Linn (November 5, 1796October 3, 1843) was a physician and politician who represented his home state of

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

in the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

from 1833 to his death.

Early life

Linn was born near

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

on November 5, 1796. He received a meager academic education because of the deaths of his parents. He was raised by his older half-brother,

Henry Dodge Moses Henry Dodge (October 12, 1782 – June 19, 1867) was a Democratic member to the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate, Territorial Governor of Wisconsin and a veteran of the Black Hawk War. His son, Augustus C. Dodge, served as a ...

and began studying medicine in Louisville. During the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

he served as a surgeon with troops commanded by Henry Dodge, though he was still a teenager; after the war he completed his studies at

Philadelphia 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 ...

Medical College in 1816. Linn is among the hundreds of members of Congress who were slaveowners.

Career

Linn was admitted to practice as a medical doctor and subsequently relocated to

Ste. Genevieve, Missouri Ste. Genevieve (french: Sainte-Geneviève ) is a city in Ste. Genevieve Township and is the county seat of Ste. Genevieve County, Missouri, United States. The population was 4,999 at the 2020 census. Founded in 1735 by French Canadian coloni ...

. Early in his career he earned recognition for his major role in combating two cholera epidemics. He served in the

Missouri Senate The Missouri Senate is the upper chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 34 members, representing districts with an average population of 174,000. Its members serve four-year terms, with half the seats being up for election every two yea ...

in 1827. In 1832 he was appointed to the state commission which settled land claims based on grants made by the government of

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

prior to the

Missouri Territory The Territory of Missouri was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 4, 1812, until August 10, 1821. In 1819, the Territory of Arkansas was created from a portion of its southern area. In 1821, a southeas ...

becoming part of the United States. In 1833 Linn was elected to the

as a Jacksonian, filling the vacancy created by the death of

Alexander Buckner Alexander Buckner (March 8, 1785June 6, 1833) was a United States senator from Missouri. Biography Born in Jefferson County, Kentucky, he studied law and moved to Charlestown, Indiana in 1812. He moved to Missouri in 1818 and settled near Jacks ...

. He was reelected as a

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 ...

in 1836 and 1842, and served from October 25, 1833 until his death. During his Senate career Linn was chairman of the Committee on Private Land Claims from 1835 to 1841 ( Twenty-fourth through Twenty-sixth Congresses), and the Committee on Agriculture from 1841 to 1843 (

Twenty-seventh Congress The 27th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. between March 4, 1 ...

Death and burial

Linn died in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri on October 3, 1843. He was buried at Ste. Genevieve Memorial Cemetery.

Legacy

Four states have counties named after him:

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

, and

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

. The towns of

Linneus, Missouri Linneus is a small city in Linn County, Missouri, United States. The population was 281 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Linn County. History Linneus was designated county seat in 1839. Originally Linnville, its name was changed to h ...

Linn, Missouri Linn is a city in Osage County, Missouri, United States. The population was 1,350 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Osage County. Linn is part of the Jefferson City, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Linn was platted ...

West Linn, Oregon West Linn is a city in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States. A southern suburb within the Portland metropolitan area, West Linn developed on the site of the former Linn City, which was named after U.S. Senator Lewis F. Linn of Ste. Genevieve ...

, and Linnton, Oregon were also named in Linn's honor.

Family

Linn was the brother-in-law of

James Hugh Relfe James Hugh Relfe (October 17, 1791 – September 14, 1863) was a U.S. Representative from Missouri. Born in Virginia, Relfe moved to Washington County, Missouri, about 1816 with his father, who settled in Caledonia. He received a limited schooling ...

, half brother of

and uncle of Henry's son

Augustus C. Dodge Augustus Caesar Dodge (January 2, 1812November 20, 1883) was a Democratic Party (United States), Democratic delegate to the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives from Iowa Territory, a U.S. minister to Spain, and o ...

. He was the uncle of

William Pope McArthur William Pope McArthur (April 2, 1814 – December 23, 1850) was an American naval officer and hydrologist who was involved in the first surveys of the Pacific Coast for the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey. Early life McArthur was born in Ste. ...

, a

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

officer who was notable for his surveys of the Pacific Coast.

References

External links

* 1796 births 1843 deaths American military personnel of the War of 1812 Missouri Democratic-Republicans Missouri Jacksonians Missouri state senators Democratic-Republican Party United States senators Democratic Party United States senators from Missouri Politicians from Louisville, Kentucky Military personnel from Kentucky Physicians from Kentucky Physicians from Missouri {{Missouri-politician-stub