John Gallagher Montgomery (June 27, 1805 – April 24, 1857) was a lawyer who represented Pennsylvania in the U.S. Congress briefly in 1857.
Biography
Montgomery was born in Northumberland, Pennsylvania on June 27, 1805. After studying under a private tutor, he graduated from Washington College (now Washington and Jefferson College) in Washington, Pennsylvania, in 1824. He then studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1827 and commenced practice in Danville.
He was a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 1855.
Montgomery was elected as a Democrat to the Thirty-fifth Congress and served until his death. He attended the inauguration dinner for President Buchanan at the National Hotel where he was reported to have been deliberately poisoned, along with many other attendees. This incident is now known as National Hotel Disease, and is believed to have been caused by food poisoning related to poor sanitation.
Death and interment
Montgomery returned home ill, and died at Danville five weeks later. He was interred at the Episcopal Cemetery in Danville. A Cenotaph was erected in his honor at the Congressional Cemetery in Washington, D.C.
See also
List of United States Congress members who died in office (1790–1899) List of United States Congress members killed or wounded in office
References
The Political Graveyard
1805 births
1857 deaths
19th-century American lawyers
19th-century American legislators
Burials at the Congressional Cemetery
Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania Democratic Party members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Pennsylvania lawyers People from Danville, Pennsylvania People from Northumberland, Pennsylvania Washington & Jefferson College alumni Deaths from dysentery