Jonathan Elmer (356)

Jonathan Elmer (29 November 1745–3 September 1817) was a politician, public officeholder, doctor, and a member of the American Philosophical Society, elected in 1774. Born in New Jersey, Elmer was physically frail from his youth, but showed early promise in his intellectual pursuits. He attended the medical school at the College of Philadelphia, earning a Bachelor’s degree in 1768 and an M.D. in 1771. He was recognized as an excellent student and held in high esteem by the faculty of the college. Shortly after the publication of his thesis, he was admitted to the New Jersey Medical Society, an organization that he would one day lead as its president. Though Elmer never let his medical training lag and continued training young doctors throughout his life, in 1772 he began moving towards a career as a jurist and public servant. He served in various positions throughout his political career, both local and national, including the sheriff of his local county, a delegate to the Continental Congress, and, from 1789-1791, a representative for the State of New Jersey to the new United States Senate. Elmer was respected by his fellow Senators, but was not re-elected, seemingly because of his vote to place the new nation’s capital further south than his constituents preferred. Not discouraged, Elmer continued in his course of public service on a local level, working as justice of the peace and a judge of the common pleas court for his home of Cumberland County. He retired in 1814, when the health problems that had plagued him throughout his life worsened. He died in Bridgeton, New Jersey three years later. (ANB)