John Westbrook 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...

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John Westbrook was born in Sussex County, New Jersey

Sussex County, New Jersey

The County of Sussex is the northernmost county in the State of New Jersey. It is part of the New York City Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 Federal decennial census, 149,265 persons resided in Sussex County...

. He moved with his parents to Pike County, Pennsylvania

Pike County, Pennsylvania

-National protected areas:* Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area * Middle Delaware National Scenic River * Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River -Demographics:...

, in 1792 and settled near Dingmans Ferry, Pennsylvania

Dingmans Ferry, Pennsylvania

Dingmans Ferry is an unincorporated community in Delaware Township, Pike County, Pennsylvania, United States. It was originally sited on the Delaware River in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, but was moved farther up the mountain when the Park Service acquired the land for the...

. He attended private schools and was engaged in lumbering and agricultural pursuits. He served as a colonel in the State militia in 1812 and as sheriff

Sheriff

A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....

 of Pike County in 1817. He was a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives

Pennsylvania House of Representatives

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two year terms from single member districts....

 in 1833.

Westbrook was elected as a Democrat to the Twenty-seventh

27th United States Congress

The Twenty-seventh United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1841 to March 3, 1843, during the one-month...

 Congress. He declined to be a candidate for reelection in 1842

United States House election, 1842

The U.S. House election, 1842 was an election for the United States House of Representatives in 1842.Just one election cycle after the Whig Party gained control of Congress, they lost their majority. Whig president William Henry Harrison died within a month of taking office and his successor, John...

 to the Twenty-eighth

28th United States Congress

-House of Representatives:Following the 1840 United States Census, Congress reapportioned the House to include 223 seats . During this congress, one House seat was added for the new state of Florida .- Senate :*President: Vacant...

 Congress. He resumed agricultural pursuits and died near Dingmans Ferry in 1852. Interment in Laurel Hill Cemetery in Milford, Pennsylvania

Milford, Pennsylvania

Milford is a borough in Pike County, Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat. Its population was 1,021 at the 2010 census. It was founded in 1796 by Judge John Biddis, one of the state's first four circuit judges, who named the settlement after his ancestral home in Wales.Milford has a...

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Sources

• The Political Graveyard