Lewis Fields Linn (November 5, 1796October 3, 1843) was a physician and politician who represented his home state of

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') 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 border ...

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 ...

from 1833 to his death.

Early life

Linn was born near

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...

, on November 5, 1796. He received a meager academic education because of the deaths of his parents. He was raised by his older half-brother, Henry Dodge and began studying medicine in Louisville. During the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

he served as a surgeon with troops commanded by Henry Dodge, though he was still a teenager; after the war he completed his studies at

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 ...

Medical College in 1816. Linn is among the hundreds of members of Congress who were slaveowners.

Career

Linn was admitted to practice as a medical doctor and subsequently relocated to Ste. Genevieve, Missouri. Early in his career he earned recognition for his major role in combating two cholera epidemics. He served in the

Missouri Senate The Missouri Senate is the upper chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 34 members, representing districts with an average population of 181,000. Its members serve four-year terms, with half the seats being up for election every two yea ...

in 1827. In 1832 he was appointed to the state commission which settled land claims based on grants made by the government of

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prior to the Missouri Territory becoming part of the United States. In 1833 Linn was elected to the

as a Jacksonian, filling the vacancy created by the death of Alexander Buckner. He was re-elected as a Democrat in 1836 and 1842, and served from October 25, 1833, until his death. During his Senate career Linn was chairman of the Committee on Private Land Claims from 1835 to 1841 ( Twenty-fourth through Twenty-sixth Congresses), and the Committee on Agriculture from 1841 to 1843 ( Twenty-seventh Congress).

Death and burial

Linn died in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri on October 3, 1843. He was buried at Ste. Genevieve Memorial Cemetery.

Legacy

Four states have counties named after him:

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

, and

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

. The towns of Linneus, Missouri, Linn, Missouri,

West Linn, Oregon West Linn is a city in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States. A southern suburb within the Portland metropolitan area, West Linn developed on the site of the former Linn City, Oregon, Linn City, which was named after U.S. Senator Lewis F. Linn ...

, and Linnton, Oregon, were also named in Linn's honor.

Family

Linn was the brother-in-law of James Hugh Relfe, half-brother of Henry Dodge and uncle of Henry's son Augustus C. Dodge. He was the uncle of William Pope McArthur, a

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

officer who was notable for his surveys of the Pacific Coast.

References

External links

* 1796 births 1843 deaths American military personnel of the War of 1812 Missouri Democratic-Republicans Missouri Jacksonians Missouri state senators Democratic-Republican Party United States senators Democratic Party United States senators from Missouri Politicians from Louisville, Kentucky Military personnel from Kentucky Physicians from Kentucky Physicians from Missouri 19th-century United States senators 19th-century members of the Missouri General Assembly {{Missouri-MOSenate-stub