Nelson Rathbun | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Iowa House of Representatives from the 19th district | |
| In office November 30, 1846 – December 3, 1848 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Jeremiah C. Betts |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 14, 1814 Champaign County, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | May 6, 1893 (aged 79) Marion, Iowa, U.S. |
| Political party | Whig |
| Spouse | Eleanor Fox |
| Children | 5 |
| Occupation | Physician, minister, postmaster, judicial officer |
Nelson Rathbun (January 14, 1814 – May 6, 1893) was an American politician, physician and Methodist minister. A Whig,[1] he served in the Iowa House of Representatives from 1846 to 1848, representing the 19th district.[2]
Early life
editRathbun was born on January 14, 1814, in Champaign County, Ohio, to John Tillinghast Rathbun, a physician, and Lydia Rathbun (née Brown). He studied medicine in his youth.[2]
Career
editRathbun joined the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1828, and received a license to preach in 1836. He moved to Cedar County, Iowa, in 1839. He was ordained as a deacon in 1841. He was elected to the Iowa House of Representatives on October 26, 1846, to represent the 19th district, which at the time constituted only Cedar County, and was appointed to the Claims Committee and the Road and Highways Committee. In 1864, he moved to Marion, Iowa, where he remained for the rest of his life.[2] He was made an elder of the church in 1881. Outside of his political career, he practiced medicine and was active in church work, and was also a postmaster and a justice of the peace.[3]
Personal life
editRathbun married Eleanor Fox in 1836 and had five children. He died at the age of 79 on May 6, 1893, in Marion, outliving his wife by over 11 years.[2][3]
References
edit- ^ "The Cedar County Advertiser". Cedar County, Iowa. June 10, 1854. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
- ^ a b c d "State Representative". Iowa Legislature. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
- ^ a b "Rathbun, Nelson.tif" (PDF). Iowa Legislature. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
Category:1814 births
Category:1893 deaths
Category:Whig Party members of the Iowa House of Representatives
Category:19th-century American legislators
Category:People from Cedar County, Iowa
Category:People from Marion, Iowa
Category:People from Champaign County, Ohio
Category:Physicians from Iowa
Category:19th-century American physicians
Category:Methodists from Iowa
Category:19th-century American Methodist ministers
Category:American justices of the peace
Category:Iowa postmasters