Lorenzo Welton Elder,

M.D. Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a professional degree. T ...

(April 15, 1820 - May 11, 1892) was an American

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

and politician who served as the sixth

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

Hoboken, New Jersey Hoboken ( ; Unami: ') is a city in Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 60,417. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 58,690 i ...

from 1863 to 1864 during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. It was through his efforts that the Hudson County Board of Health was established. He was president of the Hudson County Pathology Society and was deputy adjutant-general on the staff of Governor

Rodman McCamley Price Rodman McCamley Price (May 5, 1816June 7, 1894) was an American lawyer and Democratic Party politician who represented in the United States House of Representatives for one term from 1851–1853. He later served as the 17th governor of New Jerse ...

. He was the local medical examiner of the

Mutual Benefit Life Insurance Company The Mutual Benefit Life Insurance Company was a life insurance company that was chartered in 1845 and based in Newark in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. The company was headed by Frederick Frelinghuysen (1848–1924). The company w ...

of Newark, New Jersey, and of the

New York Life Insurance Company New York Life Insurance Company (NYLIC) is the third-largest life insurance company in the United States, the largest mutual life insurance company in the United States and is ranked #67 on the 2021 Fortune 500 list of the largest United State ...

. He was three times elected as the

tax commissioner A tax collector (also called a taxman) is a person who collects unpaid taxes from other people or corporations. The term could also be applied to those who audit tax returns. Tax collectors are often portrayed as being evil, and in the modern wo ...

for Hoboken.

Biography

Elder was born in

Guilford, New York Guilford is a town in Chenango County, New York, United States. The town is on the eastern border of the county. The population was 2,922 at the 2010 census. History The land was purchased from the Oneida people in 1785. The town was first s ...

on April 15, 1820. He attended

Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons (VP&S) is the graduate medical school of Columbia University, located at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan. Founded i ...

, graduating in 1847. From 1851 to 1861 he was the brigade surgeon for the

New Jersey Army National Guard The New Jersey Army National Guard consists of more than 6,000 Citizen-Soldiers. The New Jersey Army National Guard is currently engaged in multiple worldwide and homeland missions. Units have deployed to Iraq, Guantanamo Bay, Afghanistan, Germ ...

. In 1853 he married Helen Hall Craig of Philadelphia. In 1853 he was the "commissioner for taking the acknowledgment and proof of deeds" for Hoboken. From 1859 to 1863 he was the superintendent of the

Hoboken Public Schools Hoboken Public Schools is a comprehensive community public school district that serves children in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade in Hoboken, in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. The district is one of 31 former Abbott district ...

. From 1870 to 1872 he was an

attending physician In the United States and Canada, an attending physician (also known as a staff physician or supervising physician) is a physician (usually an M.D. or D.O.) who has completed residency and practices medicine in a clinic or hospital, in the speci ...

at the

Hudson County Hospital Meadowview Psychiatric Hospital is a hospital in Secaucus, New Jersey. Founded as the Hudson County Hospital for the Insane 1864, the hospital was originally located on Snake Hill. In 1927 its patients were moved to a new facility on County Ave ...

and was the health commissioner and president of the

board of health Local boards or local boards of health were local authorities in urban areas of England and Wales from 1848 to 1894. They were formed in response to cholera epidemics and were given powers to control sewers, clean the streets, regulate environment ...

and vital statistics for

Hudson County, New Jersey Hudson County is the most densely populated county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It lies west of the lower Hudson River, which was named for Henry Hudson, the sea captain who explored the area in 1609. Part of New Jersey's Gateway Region in t ...

. He died on May 11, 1892 in

References

Mayors of Hoboken, New Jersey Physicians from New Jersey 1820 births 1892 deaths Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons alumni People from Guilford, New York 19th-century American politicians American healthcare managers {{NewJersey-mayor-stub