John Archer (politician, 1741)

John Archer

John Archer (born May 5, 1741 in Churchville , Harford County , Province of Maryland , †  September 28, 1810 ibid) was an American politician . Between 1801 and 1807 he represented the state of Maryland in the US House of Representatives .

Career

John Archer was the father of Congressman Stevenson Archer (1786-1848) and the grandfather of Stevenson Archer II (1827-1898), who also represented the State of Maryland in the US House of Representatives. He attended West Nottingham Academy in Cecil County and then Princeton College until 1760 . Then he studied theology. Because his voice was sick, he could not practice the profession of clergyman. For this reason he studied medicine at the College of Philadelphia until 1768 . He received the first ever medical diploma on the American continent. Since 1769, Archer practiced in Harford County in his new profession.

At the beginning of the American Revolution he joined this movement. From 1774 to 1776 he was a member of a Revolutionary Committee . In 1776 he was a delegate to the Maryland Constituent Assembly. From 1777 to 1779 he sat in the local House of Representatives . At the beginning of the War of Independence , Archer set up a company. During the war he served in the Continental Army , in which he rose to major. In 1799 he founded the Maryland Medical and Surgical School with his son Thomas.

At the end of the 1790s, Archer joined the Democratic Republican Party founded by the later US President Thomas Jefferson . In the 1800 congressional elections , he was elected to the US House of Representatives in Washington, DC in the sixth constituency of Maryland , where he succeeded Gabriel Christie on March 4, 1801 . After two re-elections, he was able to complete three legislative terms in Congress by March 3, 1807 . During his tenure as an MP in 1803, the Louisiana Purchase significantly expanded United States territory. In 1804 the twelfth amendment was ratified.

After the end of his time in the US House of Representatives, John Archer withdrew from politics. He died on September 28, 1810 on his Medical Hall estate near Churchville, where he was also buried.

Web links

• John Archer in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)
• John Archer in the database of Find a Grave (English)