John Vandling Lesher was a Democratic

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

.

John V. Lesher was born on a farm in Blue Hill, Pennsylvania

Union Township, Union County, Pennsylvania

Union Township is a township in Union County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,427 at the 2000 census. Part of Shikellamy State Park is in Union Township.-Geography:...

. He attended the rural schools in his native county and the State Normal School

Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania

Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, commonly referred to as Bloomsburg, BU or Bloom, is a public university in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, United States...

 at Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania

Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania

Bloomsburg is a town in Columbia County, Pennsylvania, 40 miles southwest of Wilkes Barre along the Susquehanna River. In 1900, the population of Bloomsburg stood at 6,170; in 1910, 7,413; in 1940, 9,799, and in 1990, 12,439. The population was 14,855 at the 2010 census...

. He taught school for several years in Union

Union County, Pennsylvania

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 41,624 people, 13,178 households, and 9,211 families residing in the county. The population density was 131 people per square mile . There were 14,684 housing units at an average density of 46 per square mile...

 and Snyder

Snyder County, Pennsylvania

Snyder County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of 2010, the population was 39,702. Snyder County was formed in 1855 from parts of Union County...

 Counties. He graduated from Bucknell University

Bucknell University

Bucknell University is a private liberal arts university located alongside the West Branch Susquehanna River in the rolling countryside of Central Pennsylvania in the town of Lewisburg, 30 miles southeast of Williamsport and 60 miles north of Harrisburg. The university consists of the College of...

 in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania

Lewisburg, Pennsylvania

Lewisburg is a borough in Union County, Pennsylvania, United States, south by southeast of Williamsport and north of Harrisburg. In the past, it was the commercial center for a fertile grain and general farming region. The population was 5,620 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Union...

, in 1897. He enlisted in Company K of the Pennsylvania National Guard

Pennsylvania National Guard

The Pennsylvania National Guard is composed of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard and the Pennsylvania Air National Guard. It is one of the largest National Guards in the nation. It has the largest Army National Guard of all the states and the fourth largest Air National Guard. These forces are...

 in 1898, and when it was transferred to the Twelfth Regiment he served as a first lieutenant. He was promoted to quartermaster with rank of captain, serving until 1902. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1900 and commenced practice in Sunbury, Pennsylvania

Sunbury, Pennsylvania

Sunbury is a city in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city is located on the east bank of the Susquehanna River, just downstream of the confluence of its main and West branches. The population was 9,905 at the 2010 census...

. He served as the assistant district attorney of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania

Northumberland County, Pennsylvania

There were 38,835 households out of which 27.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.40% were married couples living together, 9.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.10% were non-families. 30.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.50% had...

. He was also engaged in banking and real estate development.

Lesher was elected as a Democrat to the sixty-third

63rd United States Congress

- House of Representatives:*Democratic : 291 *Republican : 134*Progressive : 9*Independent : 1TOTAL members: 435-Senate:*President of the Senate: Thomas R. Marshall*President pro tempore: James P. Clarke-Senate:...

 and to the three succeeding congresses. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1920. He resumed the practice of law in Sunbury, Pennsylvania

Sunbury, Pennsylvania

Sunbury is a city in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city is located on the east bank of the Susquehanna River, just downstream of the confluence of its main and West branches. The population was 9,905 at the 2010 census...

, and died in Danville, Pennsylvania

Danville, Pennsylvania

Danville is a borough in Montour County, Pennsylvania, USA, of which it is the county seat, on the North Branch of the Susquehanna River. Danville was home to 8,042 people in 1900, 7,517 people in 1910, and 7,122 people in 1940. The population was 4,897 at the 2000 census...

. Interment in Riverview Cemetery in Northumberland, Pennsylvania

Northumberland, Pennsylvania

Northumberland is a borough in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 3,714 at the 2000 census.-History:Northumberland was founded in 1772. The land that became Northumberland was purchased from the Iroquois in the first Treaty of Fort Stanwix in 1768, and the...

.

Sources

• The Political Graveyard