John Carson (November 12, 1752 – October 26, 1794, was an early American physician and one the first trustees for the rechartered

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

. He later was appointed chair of the university's Chemistry Department.

Early life and education

Carson was born in

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 ...

, the son of William Carson and Mary Hamilton, who emigrated earlier from

County Antrim County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, County Antrim, Antrim, ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, located within the historic Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the c ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

. In Philadelphia, William was innkeeper of the "Harp and Crown," a trustee of the Second Presbyterian Church, and a Committee of Safety and militia member during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

. John was an early student at the

Academy and College of Philadelphia The Academy and College of Philadelphia (1749–1791) was a boys' school and men's college in Philadelphia in the colonial-era Province of Pennsylvania. Founded in 1749 by a group of local notables that included Benjamin Franklin, the Academy of P ...

, which was founded in 1751 by several prominent local citizens, including

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin (April 17, 1790) was an American polymath: a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher and Political philosophy, political philosopher.#britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the m ...

. He later graduated from the

College of Philadelphia The Academy and College of Philadelphia (1749–1791) was a boys' school and men's college in Philadelphia in the colonial-era Province of Pennsylvania. Founded in 1749 by a group of local notables that included Benjamin Franklin, the Academy of P ...

in 1771. Both institutions were precursors for what would become the

. Carson then attended the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

in Scotland, where he earned his

M.D. A Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated MD, from the Latin ) is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the ''MD'' denotes a professional degree of physician. This ge ...

in 1776 before returning to Philadelphia to practice medicine. One of six children, John's sister, Elizabeth Carson, married the noted Revolutionary War hero Colonel

Christian Febiger Hans Christian Febiger (or Fibiger) (October 19, 1749, in Fåborg, Denmark-Norway – September 20, 1796, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) was an American Revolutionary War commander, confidant of General George Washington, and original mem ...

. Christian and Elizabeth had no children of their own, and adopted John's son by his Scottish wife, Agnes Hunter (Christian Carson, later changed his name to Christian Carson Febiger, father of Admiral

John Carson Febiger John Carson Febiger (14 February 1821 – 9 October 1898) was a rear admiral of the United States Navy who served with the Union Navy during the American Civil War. Biography Febiger's father was the adopted son of American Revolutionary War s ...

). His other sister, Mary Carson, married another military hero, General

James O'Hara (quartermaster) James O'Hara (1819) was an American military officer, businessman, and captain of early industry in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Early life He was born in County Mayo, Kingdom of Ireland, the son of Major John O'Hara, and in 1765 att ...

, who later served as Quartermaster General of the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

. Both Febiger and O'Hara met their future wives at William Carson's "Harp & Crown" tavern.

Career

Following his medical school graduation, Carson remained in

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

for some time and married. He later returned to his native Philadelphia, where he ran a sizable private practice and also assisted in setting up the Philadelphia Dispensary. In 1787, Carson was an original incorporator and Fellow of

The College of Physicians of Philadelphia The College of Physicians of Philadelphia is the oldest private medical society in the United States. Founded in 1787 by 24 Philadelphia physicians "to advance the Science of Medicine, and thereby lessen human misery, by investigating the dise ...

, where he was a contemporary of, and frequent correspondent with,

Benjamin Rush Benjamin Rush (April 19, 1813) was an American revolutionary, a Founding Father of the United States and signatory to the U.S. Declaration of Independence, and a civic leader in Philadelphia, where he was a physician, politician, social refor ...

. In that same year, he was also named Surgeon of the

First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry The First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry, also known as the First City Troop, is a unit of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. It is one of the oldest military units in the United States still in active service and is among the most decor ...

. Carson was also elected a member of the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...

, the Hibernian Society of Philadelphia, and Deputy Grand Master of the Masonic

Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania The Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, officially The Right Worshipful Grand Lodge of the Most Ancient and Honorable Fraternity of Free and Accepted Masons of Pennsylvania and Masonic Jurisdictions Thereunto Belonging, sometimes referred to as Freema ...

. In 1791, he was named to the Board of Trustees of his alma mater, the College of Philadelphia. In this role, he helped oversee the merger of the college with the

University of the State of Pennsylvania The institution now known as the University of Pennsylvania was founded as a secondary school in Philadelphia in 1740. By the time the American Revolution commenced, it had grown to include a college and medical school called the College of Philad ...

, which created the

. Following the creation of the new university, Carson was chosen to stay on as a trustee, a service he performed until 1794. That year, he resigned to become chairman of chemistry at the university's medical school, which was left vacant by the death of James Hutchinson.

Death

Carson died on October 26, 1794, in

, at age 41, from a peritonsillar abscess and was never able to formally assume the duties at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Carson was originally buried at the Arch Street Second Presbyterian Church Cemetery, but his remains were removed to Mount Vernon Cemetery in 1864 when the Arch Street Cemetery closed. His wife, Agnes, returned to

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

following his death. Carson fathered ten children. Several of Carson's later relatives went on to have long-standing affiliations with the

, including physician and botanist Joseph Carson, attorney Hampton L. Carson, and evolutionary biologist Hampton L. Carson.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carson, John 1752 births 1794 deaths 18th-century American physicians Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Medical School American people of Northern Ireland descent American Presbyterians Burials at Mount Vernon Cemetery (Philadelphia) Members of the American Philosophical Society People from colonial Pennsylvania Physicians from Philadelphia Presbyterians from Pennsylvania University of Pennsylvania faculty University of Pennsylvania people