Gustavus Miller Bower (December 12, 1790 – November 17, 1864) was an American

U.S. Representative 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 c ...

from

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 ...

. Born near

Culpeper, Virginia Culpeper (formerly Culpeper Courthouse, earlier Fairfax) is an incorporated town in Culpeper County, Virginia, United States. The population was 20,062 at the 2020 census, up from 16,379 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Culpeper Coun ...

, Bower attended the public schools. He studied medicine in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 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 ...

, moved to Kentucky prior to 1812 and resided near Nicholasville. He then enlisted 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 ...

as a surgeon-dresser. He was one of the few survivors of the massacre at Frenchtown, near

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

, January 23, 1813. He moved to

Monroe County, Missouri Monroe County is a county in northeast Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,666. Its county seat is Paris. It is the birthplace of Mark Twain. History The county was organized January 6, 1831 and named for James Monroe, the fi ...

, in 1833, settling near Paris, and engaged in the practice of medicine as well as agricultural pursuits. Bower was elected 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 ...

to the Twenty-eighth Congress (March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1845). Afterwards, he resumed the practice of medicine. He died near

Paris, Missouri Paris is a city and county seat of Monroe County, Missouri, United States. The population was 1,161 at the 2020 census. History Paris was platted in 1831, and named after Paris, Kentucky, the native home of one of the first settlers, Mrs. James ...

, November 17, 1864. He was interred in the family burial ground north of

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bower, Gustavus Miller 1790 births 1864 deaths People from Culpeper County, Virginia American military personnel of the War of 1812 People from Paris, Missouri Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Missouri 19th-century American legislators Members of the United States House of Representatives who owned slaves