Jonas R. McClintock
Encyclopedia
Jonas R. McClintock served as Mayor of Pittsburgh from 1836 to 1839. He was the first Medical Doctor to serve as mayor of Pittsburgh.
. He attended the University of Maryland Medical School, earning an M.D. in 1830. He rose to local fame heroically treating his fellow Pittsburghers during the cholera
epidemics in the early 1830s. In 1832 he organized Pittsburgh's very first board of health, he also was a member of the local vigilance committee and the volunteer fire company.
in 1853. His stay in Harrisburg was highlighted by his championing of commonwealth legislation promoting free secondary education. When the U.S. Civil War divided the nation, Dr. McClintock help organize a troop company for battle, it numbered over 3,500 men. In 1879 he died from a strangulated hernia. He was buried in Allegheny Cemetery
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Early life
James Roup McClintock was born in Pennsylvania in 1808. He graduated from the University of PittsburghUniversity of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
. He attended the University of Maryland Medical School, earning an M.D. in 1830. He rose to local fame heroically treating his fellow Pittsburghers during the cholera
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
epidemics in the early 1830s. In 1832 he organized Pittsburgh's very first board of health, he also was a member of the local vigilance committee and the volunteer fire company.
Pittsburgh politics
At the very youthful age of 28 he became mayor, much on his fame and legend making the city safe from cholera and fire earlier in the decade. He was known affectionately as the "Boy Mayor". His mayoral administration had to deal with hard financial times in the late 1830s. However, he succeeded in major infrastructure improvements in the city including the original "cut" of Grant's Hill, a steep bluff boxing the city in on the east. The "cut" allowed for settlement of an area of the city previously uninhabitable because of the grade of the land.Later life
Upon leaving the mayor's office, McClintock ran successfully for state SenatorPennsylvania State Senate
The Pennsylvania State Senate has been meeting since 1791. It is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania state legislature. The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered every two years such...
in 1853. His stay in Harrisburg was highlighted by his championing of commonwealth legislation promoting free secondary education. When the U.S. Civil War divided the nation, Dr. McClintock help organize a troop company for battle, it numbered over 3,500 men. In 1879 he died from a strangulated hernia. He was buried in Allegheny Cemetery
Allegheny Cemetery
Allegheny Cemetery is one of the largest and oldest burial grounds in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.It is a nonsectarian, wooded hillside park located at 4734 Butler Street in the Lawrenceville neighborhood and bounded by Bloomfield, Garfield, and Stanton Heights...
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