John Simpson Savage (October 30, 1841 – November 24, 1884) was an

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

school

teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...

, attorney, and member of the

United States House of Representatives 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 ...

for one term from 1875 to 1877.

Early life and career

John S. Savage was born in Clermont County, Ohio to James and Frances (Battson) Savage. James Savage was a school teacher and later a farmer. John was educated in the local public schools and in 1853 relocated to Clinton County, Ohio where he took up his father’s early vocation. During his five years of teaching, he devoted his spare time to the study of law and, in 1865, he was admitted to the Ohio bar. That same year he was also admitted to practice in the Supreme Court of Illinois. Savage opened a law office at

Wilmington, Ohio Wilmington is a city in and the county seat of Clinton County, Ohio, United States. The population was 12,660 at the 2020 census. At city entrances from state routes, county roads, and U.S. highways, the city slogan of "We Honor Our Champions" is ...

, in partnership with Simeon G. Smith. Their firm, Savage & Smith, was well known in the county.

Family life

On December 31, 1868 Savage married Lydia Ayers, a native of Clinton county; they had four children.

Congress

Savage was 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 ...

, casting his first vote for

George B. McClellan George Brinton McClellan (December 3, 1826 – October 29, 1885) was an American soldier, Civil War Union general, civil engineer, railroad executive, and politician who served as the 24th governor of New Jersey. A graduate of West Point, McCl ...

in 1864. His election to Congress was wholly unsought—he accepted the nomination more to aid in maintaining the organization of his party than in the expectation of being elected. Ohio's third congressional district was overwhelmingly Republican, yet Savage defeated his incumbent opponent John Q. Smith by 1,162 votes. At the succeeding congressional election in 1876, he was narrowly defeated by Mills Gardner, who also served a single term.

Later career and death

Savage resumed the practicing law in Wilmington. He was a Freemason, of the Knights Templar degree. He died in Wilmington and his remains are interred at the Sugar Grove Cemetery.

Sources

* History of Clinton County, Ohio. Chicago: W. H. Beers & Co., 1882. * Taylor, William A. Ohio in Congress from 1803 to 1901. Columbus, Ohio: The XX Century Publishing Company, 1901. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Savage, John Simpson 1841 births 1884 deaths People from Clermont County, Ohio People from Clinton County, Ohio Ohio lawyers 19th-century American legislators 19th-century American lawyers Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio