Daniel Sturgeon (October 27, 1789July 3, 1878) was an American physician, banker and Democratic party politician from

Uniontown, Pennsylvania Uniontown is the largest city in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. The population was 9,984 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area, southeast of Pittsburgh. History southeast of ...

. He served in both houses of the

state legislature A state legislature is a Legislature, legislative branch or body of a State (country subdivision), political subdivision in a Federalism, federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of ...

and represented

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

in the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

Biography

Daniel Sturgeon was born on October 27, 1789, in Mount Pleasant Township, present-day

Adams County, Pennsylvania Adams County is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 103,852. Its county seat is Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, Gettysbu ...

. He later moved with his parents to

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

in 1804. He attended Jefferson College in

Canonsburg, Pennsylvania Canonsburg is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States, southwest of Pittsburgh. The population was 9,735 at the 2020 census. Canonsburg was laid out by Colonel John Canon in 1789 and incorporated in 180 ...

, and

Jefferson Medical College Thomas Jefferson University is a private research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Established in its earliest form in 1824, the university officially combined with Philadelphia University in 2017. The university is ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

. Sturgeon practiced medicine in

, until being appointed county

coroner A coroner is a government or judicial official who is empowered to conduct or order an inquest into the manner or cause of death. The official may also investigate or confirm the identity of an unknown person who has been found dead within th ...

in 1813. He served in the

Pennsylvania House of Representatives The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts. It ...

from 1818 until 1824 and the

Pennsylvania State Senate The Pennsylvania State Senate is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania state legislature. The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. Senators are elected for four-year terms, stagger ...

for the 19th district from 1825 until 1830, serving as President of that body for the final two years of his term until serving as

Pennsylvania Auditor General The Pennsylvania auditor general is the chief fiscal officer of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It became an elected office in 1850. The current auditor general of Pennsylvania is Republican Timothy DeFoor. History The office of the audito ...

from 1830 until 1836. Immediately prior to being elected to the U.S. Senate, Sturgeon served as

Pennsylvania Treasurer The treasurer of Pennsylvania is the head of the Pennsylvania Treasury Department, an independent department of the commonwealth's government. The treasurer is elected every four years. Treasurers are limited to two consecutive terms. Pennsy ...

from 1838 until 1839. The Senate seat on which Sturgeon served is now held by Democratic Senator Bob Casey Jr. Sturgeon was elected by the state legislature to the United States Senate on January 14, 1840, to serve the term that commenced on March 4, 1839. He was re-elected to the U.S. Senate in 1845 and was not a candidate for re-election in

1851 Events January–March * January 11 – Hong Xiuquan officially begins the Taiping Rebellion in China, one of the bloodiest revolts that would lead to 20 million deaths. * January 15 – Christian Female College, modern-d ...

. His term expired in March 1851. While a U.S. Senator, Sturgeon served as chairman of the Committee on Patents and the Patent Office and the Committee on Agriculture. Following his tenure in the U.S. Senate, Sturgeon was appointed treasurer of the

United States Mint The United States Mint is a bureau of the United States Department of the Treasury, Department of the Treasury responsible for producing coinage for the United States to conduct its trade and commerce, as well as controlling the movement of bull ...

in Philadelphia by President

Franklin Pierce Franklin Pierce (November 23, 1804October 8, 1869) was the 14th president of the United States, serving from 1853 to 1857. A northern Democratic Party (United States), Democrat who believed that the Abolitionism in the United States, abolitio ...

, serving from 1853 until 1858. He died in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, on July 3, 1878.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sturgeon, Daniel 1789 births 1878 deaths Politicians from Adams County, Pennsylvania American people of Scotch-Irish descent Pennsylvania Democratic-Republicans Pennsylvania Jacksonians Democratic Party United States senators from Pennsylvania State treasurers of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania auditors general Democratic Party members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Democratic Party Pennsylvania state senators People from Uniontown, Pennsylvania Physicians from Pennsylvania American coroners 19th-century American physicians Washington & Jefferson College alumni Jefferson Medical College alumni 19th-century members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly 19th-century United States senators