John E. Hamm, Doctor of Medicine
Background
His father and grandfather were both members of the Kent Company Delaware Committee of Observation and Inspection during the American Revolution. He moved to Ohio in 1808, at the end of the 10 years required for his administration of his father"s estate.
Education
Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
Career
31 May 1776, in Kent Company, near Dover, Delaware – 22 March 1864, in Zanesville, Muskingum Company, Ohio) was an American United States Army colonel, doctor and politician, diplomat, industrialist, and Marshall of the State of Ohio during the War of 1812. John Hamm earned his medical degree from Medical College of Philadelphia (which, after being know under various names, eventually became part of the University of Pennsylvania). He went on to practice medicine in both Dover Delaware and Philadelphia.
During the War of 1812 he held the rank of Colonel and was in charge of the hospital that treated the wounded from the Battle of Lake Erie.
He was in charge of the Army Hospital at Detroit. In 1813 he was appointed Regular Surgeon of 27th Regiment United States Infantry under General
William Henry Harrison. He was also at the Battle of the Thames.
He practiced and taught medicine in Zanesville, Ohio and Chillicothe, Ohio, and operated a pharmacy in Zanesville Ohio.
He first became involved in Ohio politics when the state capital was at Chillicothe, and moved with it when the capital changed to Zanesville, then moved back to Chillicothe when the state capital returned there. In 1815 he was Mayor of Zanesville. In 1836 he was the Jeffersonian Candidate for Congress from the Zanesville area.
He later was head of his own faction in Ohio politics.
Following his service in the War of 1812 (while the conflict was still active), he was appointed on 30 December 1813 under President Madison. His first task was to march the prisoners taken during the Battle of Lake Erie to Camp Bulletin (near Chillicothe, Ohio).
As part of this job he was in charge of the taking of the United States 1820 Census in the State of Ohio. He served as for 8 years.
He was appointed Minister to Chile under President Andrew Jackson.
He negotiated the first United States trade treaty with Chile, under which our representative to that country was elevated to the rank of Ambassador. Isaac Van Horne, founded the White Glass Company of Zanesville, Ohio. This type of company was notoriously difficult to maintain as an enterprise, however White Glass Company existed well into (and in some form well beyond) the 1820s through several owners and under several names.
The White Glass Company is perhaps best known for producing (now highly collectible) Bottles.
Membership
When the State Capital was in Zanesville he became a member of the first Board for the Examination of Physicians and Surgeons in the State of Ohio. In October 1812 he was a member of the Ohio House of Representatives. He was a member of the Ohio Senate from October 1827 until May 1831, when he resigned to become United States Charge de Affairs to Chile.
He appears to have been a member of the Van Horne faction of the Democratic-Republican Party.