Elisha Bartlett (October 6, 1804 – July 19, 1855) was a medical doctor, professor and poet who served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives and as the first mayor of Lowell, Massachusetts.[1][8]

Elisha Bartlett
1st Mayor of
Lowell, Massachusetts[1]
In office
1836[1]–1838
Preceded byBoard of Selectmen
Succeeded byLuther Lawrence
Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives[1]
Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
In office
1841[2]–1841[2]
Personal details
BornOctober 6, 1804[3]
Smithfield, Rhode Island[3]
DiedJuly 19, 1855[4][5]
Smithfield, Rhode Island[5]
Political partyWhig[2]
SpouseElizabeth Slater[2]
Alma materBrown University, M.D.,[3] 1826.[4][6][7]
OccupationMedical doctor[2]

Medical professor

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Elisha Bartlett was born in Smithfield, Rhode Island, and was educated in Smithfield, Uxbridge, and a friend's school in New York. After studying medicine under the mentorship of Dr. Willard of Uxbridge, Dr. Green and Dr. Heywood of Worcester, and Dr. Levi Wheaton of Providence, he earned an M.D. degree at Brown Medical School in 1826.[9][10] Beginning with his appointment as Professor of Pathological Anatomy and Materia Medica at the Berkshire Medical College in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, in 1832,[3] Bartlett taught at a number of medical schools, including Transylvania University,[11] the University of Maryland School of Medicine,[11] Vermont Medical College, Woodstock, Vermont,[12] the University of Louisville,[13] where he was Professor of the Theory and Practice of Medicine,[14] the University of the City of New York,[13] and the College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City, where he was Chair of Materia Medica and Medical Jurisprudence.[13] He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1845.[15]

First Mayor of Lowell

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After graduating from Brown in 1826 and brief study in Paris, Bartlett married Elizabeth Slater, also of Smithfield, and in 1827 settled in Lowell, Massachusetts. Except for his tenure at Berkshire Medical College, he remained in Lowell throughout the 1830s. In April 1836, Lowell received its city charter from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and in October 1836, Bartlett was elected as the city's first mayor.[16] Running as a Whig, he defeated Democrat Eliphalet Case 958–868 for a one-year term. In 1837 he ran for re-election, defeating Case again, by a margin of 1,018-817.

During his tenure he was faced with the challenges of the Lowell Mill Girls strike in 1836, and the Panic of 1837.

Writings

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d Rider, p. 7
  2. ^ a b c d e Stempsey, p. 5
  3. ^ a b c d Rider, p. 6
  4. ^ a b Stockbridge, John Calvin (2009), The Anthony Memorial. A Catalogue of the Harris Collection of American Poetryes, Charleston, SC: BiblioBazaar, p. 21
  5. ^ a b Rider, p. 9
  6. ^ Stempsey, p. 4
  7. ^ Townsend, John Wilson (1913), Kentucky in American letters, 1784–1912, Vol. I, Cedar Rapids, Iowa: The Torch Press, p. 147
  8. ^ Osler, William (1903), Transactions of the Rhode Island Medical Society, Vol VI, In Five Parts, 1899–1903; A Rhode Island Philosopher (Elisha Bartlett)., Providence, Rhode Island: Rhode Island Medical Society, p. 19
  9. ^ Kelly, Howard A.; Burrage, Walter L. (eds.). "Bartlett, Elisha" . American Medical Biographies . Baltimore: The Norman, Remington Company.
  10. ^ Mitchell, Martha. "Bartlett, Elisha". Encyclopedia Brunoniana. Brown University Library. Retrieved June 13, 2012.
  11. ^ a b Stempsey, p. 8
  12. ^ Stempsey, p. 9
  13. ^ a b c Stempsey, p. 10
  14. ^ Osler, William (1903), Transactions of the Rhode Island Medical Society, Vol VI, In Five Parts, 1899–1903; A Rhode Island Philosopher (Elisha Bartlett)., Providence, Rhode Island: Rhode Island Medical Society, p. 28
  15. ^ "Book of Members, 1780–2010: Chapter B" (PDF). American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Retrieved May 19, 2011.
  16. ^ "Looking Good, Mayors". "Lowell Sun April 14, 2011", Jennifer Myers. The Lowell Sun. Retrieved October 16, 2016.

Bibliography

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Political offices
Preceded by
Board of Selectmen
1st Mayor of
Lowell, Massachusetts

1836–1838
Succeeded by
Academic offices
Preceded by
Professor of Pathological Anatomy and Materia Medica
at the
Berkshire Medical Institute
Pittsfield, Massachusetts

1832–1832
Succeeded by
Preceded by
Professor of the Theory and Practice of Medicine
University of Louisville

March 13, 1849 – September 1850
Succeeded by
Preceded by
J. R. Beck
Chair of Materia Medica and Medical Jurisprudence
at the
College of Physicians and Surgeons
New York City

March 5, 1852–1855
Succeeded by