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John T. Averill

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John T. Averill
Birth nameJohn Thomas Averill
Born(1825-03-01)March 1, 1825
Alna, Maine, U.S.
DiedOctober 3, 1889(1889-10-03) (aged 64)
Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S.
Buried
Oakland Cemetery
Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S.
AllegianceUnited States of America
Union
Service / branchUnited States Army
Union Army
Years of service1862-1865
Rank Colonel
Brevet brigadier general
Commands6th Minnesota Infantry
Battles / warsAmerican Civil War
Other workU.S. Congressman
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Minnesota's 3rd district
In office
March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1875
Preceded byDistrict Created
Succeeded byWilliam S. King
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Minnesota's 2nd district
In office
March 4, 1871 – March 3, 1873
Preceded byEugene McLanahan Wilson
Succeeded byHorace B. Strait
Member of the Minnesota Senate
from the 12th district
In office
December 7, 1859 – January 7, 1861
Preceded byJames Ridpath
Succeeded byStiles P. Jones
Personal details
Political partyRepublican

John Thomas Averill (March 1, 1825 – October 3, 1889) was a United States Army officer in the American Civil War who later became a U.S. congressional representative from Minnesota.[1]

Early life and education

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Averill was born in Alna, Maine, March 1, 1825. He moved with his parents to Montville, Maine, in 1838 and graduated from the Maine Wesleyan Seminary at Readfield in 1846. He taught school for a short time, and subsequently engaged in lumbering for one year. Averill then moved to Winthrop, Maine, and engaged in mercantile pursuits for three years. In 1852 he moved to northern Pennsylvania and again engaged in lumbering until 1857, when he settled in Lake City, Minnesota. Once there, he engaged in mercantile pursuits and the grain business; was a member of the Minnesota Senate 1858–1860.[1]

Career

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On August 22, 1862, Averill was commissioned as a lieutenant colonel of the 6th Minnesota Infantry Regiment. He was promoted to colonel on November 22, 1864, and was assigned as Provost Marshal General for the District of Minnesota. He was honorably mustered out on September 28, 1865; and was made a brevet brigadier general on October 18, 1865.[1]

In 1866, he moved to St. Paul, Minnesota, and engaged in the wholesale paper and stationery business (Averill, Russell & Carpenter Paper Manufacturers). He was a member of the Republican National Committee from 1868 through 1880; elected as a Republican to the 42nd and 43rd congresses (March 4, 1871 – March 3, 1875); He was chairman of the Committee on Indian Affairs (Forty-third Congress); was not a candidate for renomination in 1874.[1]

Later life and death

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Averill resumed his business activities in St. Paul, Minnesota, where he died on October 3, 1889; interred at the Oakland Cemetery.[1]

He is the namesake of the community of Averill, Minnesota.[2]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Eicher, John H., and Eicher, David J., Civil War High Commands, Stanford University Press, 2001, ISBN 0-8047-3641-3.
  2. ^ Upham, Warren (1920). Minnesota Geographic Names: Their Origin and Historic Significance. Minnesota Historical Society. p. 115.
[edit]
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by U.S. Representative from Minnesota's 2nd congressional district
1871–1873
Succeeded by
Preceded by
U.S. Representative from Minnesota's 3rd congressional district
1873–1875
Succeeded by