Background
Foltz was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
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Jonathan Messersmith Foltz
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He studied medicine as the apprentice of Doctor William Thompson from 1825-1828, and graduated from Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, in 1830.
Career
Foltz entered the Navy as an assistant surgeon on 4 April 1831, serving aboard the frigate Potomac, and in February 1832 landed with the storming party at Quallah Battoo, Sumatra, being specially commended in Lieutenant Irvine Shubrick"s official dispatch. Potomac finally returned to Boston in June 1834, and Foltz then served at the Medical Bureau, Washington, District of Columbia, being stationed at Washington Navy Yard. In 1835, he published his observations on the voyage of the Potomac, and in 1837 received an honorary degree of Master of Arts from Yale College.
In February 1838, he was present at the duel between William J. Graves and Jonathan Cilley.
On 8 December 1838, Foltz was examined and received promotion to the rank of Surgeon in the Navy, and on 1 April 1839 was appointed Surgeon of the Naval Hospital at Portuguese Mahon, Minorca. On 13 March 1841, he was assigned to the frigate Brandywine, and on 30 October 1843 to the frigate Raritan.
Between 1844 and 1846, he served as Fleet Surgeon aboard the Raritan during the Mexican–American War and was present at the battles of Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma, the blockade of Vera Cruz, and the battles of Alvarado and Tabasco. Foltz remained aboard Raritan in the Brazil Squadron until 1847, and served in the Jamestown of the same squadron in 1851-1854.
He was fleet surgeon of the Western Gulf Squadron in 1862-1863, and was with David Farragut on the Hartford in all his battles during those years.
He occupied the same place on the Franklin during Farragut"s voyage to Europe in 1867-1878. Foltz was president of the naval medical board in 1870-1871, of which he was one of the founding members in 1857. He became medical director on 3 March 1871, and was appointed "Chief of the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery" and "Surgeon General", with the rank of commodore, on 25 October of that year.
He was placed on the retired list on 25 April 1872.
