Zina Pitcher (April 12, 1797, in Sandy Hill, New York – April 5, 1872, in Detroit) was an American physician, politician, educator, and academic administrator. He was a president of the American Medical Association, a two-time mayor of Detroit and a member of the Board of Regents of the University of Michigan.[1]

Zina Pitcher
16th & 18th Mayor of Detroit
In office
1843–1843
Preceded byDouglass Houghton
Succeeded byJohn R. Williams
In office
1840–1841
Preceded byDe Garmo Jones
Succeeded byDouglass Houghton
Personal details
BornApril 12, 1797
Sandy Hill, New York
DiedApril 5, 1872(1872-04-05) (aged 74)
Detroit, Michigan
Alma materMiddlebury College
ProfessionPhysician
Portrait of Pitcher from 1852, by Alvah Bradish

Biography edit

Early life edit

Pitcher was born in Sandy Hill, New York, on April 12, 1797. He was the son of Nathaniel Pitcher Sr., who died in Sandy Hill in 1802, and Margaret Stevenson, who died in Kingsbury, in 1819. He was the younger half-brother of Nathaniel Pitcher, a future Governor of New York. (In his 1836 will, Nathaniel mentioned an Osage orange walking stick given to him by Zina.) Another of Zina's brothers was James Pitcher, who became the first mayor of the city of Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1835. Zina attended Middlebury College in Vermont and graduated in medicine in 1822.

Career edit

Pitcher joined the Army in 1822 as an assistant surgeon, and was promoted to the rank of major in 1836 as a full surgeon. He was president of the Army Medical Board in 1835, and resigned from the Army at the end of 1836.[2]

Pitcher was also an excellent botanist (not uncommon for medical professionals of his day). He collected and studied plants in the Great Lakes region, and the exceedingly rare Pitcher's thistle (Cirsium pitcheri) was first collected by him from the Grand Sable Dunes during his service as an Army surgeon; subsequently it was named for him as well.[3] At times Pitcher teamed with botanist Thomas Nuttall.[4]

He moved to Detroit, and was elected mayor for two separate terms, once from 1840–1841 and again in 1843. He was also a regent of the University of Michigan from 1837 until 1852 where he bought a copy of Audubon's "Birds of America" for the library.[5] He served as president of the American Medical Association from 1856 to 1857, presiding over its annual meeting in Detroit.[2]

He died in Detroit on April 5, 1872, and is buried in Elmwood Cemetery.[6]

Commemoration edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ Kelly, Howard A.; Burrage, Walter L. (eds.). "Pitcher, Zina" . American Medical Biographies . Baltimore: The Norman, Remington Company.
  2. ^ a b Wilson & Fiske 1888, p. 31
  3. ^ Bill Collins (August 2004). "Dr. Zina Pitcher — Bandages, Beaches, Botany, and Ballots". Huron Ecologic. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
  4. ^ "Nuttall, Thomas & Pitcher, Z." Index of Botanists. Harvard University Herbarium. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
  5. ^ Tobin, James. "Birds in the Library". University of Michigan Heritage Project. Retrieved 2022-02-03.
  6. ^ Franck 1996, p. 42
  7. ^ International Plant Names Index.  Pitcher.
  8. ^ "Learning to Live: The Superintendent's Annual Report for the 105th Year of The Detroit Public Schools". Board of Education, City of Detroit. 1947. p. 27. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  9. ^ "Pitcher Elementary School (Closed 2007)". Public School Review. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  10. ^ "Demolition of old Pitcher School begins on Detroit's northwest side". ABC-7 Detroit, WXYZ-TV. June 27, 2019. Retrieved February 17, 2024.

References edit

External links edit

Political offices
Preceded by Mayor of Detroit
1840–1841
Succeeded by
Preceded by Mayor of Detroit
1843
Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by Whig nominee for Governor of Michigan
1843
Succeeded by
Stephen Vickery
Business positions
Preceded by President of the American Medical Association
1856–1857
Succeeded by