Member Biography

Biography

Doctor Jesse Reading Burden (D2) Philadelphia County 1827-1837 (Whig2) Philadelphia County 1837-1838

Early Life: 

Doctor Jesse Reading Burden, born January 8, 1796, Southwark, Philadelphia County Pennsylvania; son of Joseph and Anna Maria Burden; University of Pennsylvania, 1816, University of Pennsylvania, medical degree, 1819; enlisted, first medical officer, Fourth United States Infantry, Tampa Bay, Florida, 1823; married Anna Maria Smith; established Southwark medical practice, 1827; elected, Democrat, Pennsylvania State Senate 1827-1837; elected, Speaker of the Senate, 1833-1834;  elected, Whig, Pennsylvania State Senate 1827-1837; elected, Speaker of the Senate, 1837-1838; delegate, Baltimore Democratic Convention, 1835; State Board of Prison Inspectors, 1835-1855; elected, Whig, Pennsylvania State House of Representatives, 1840; elected, Whig, Pennsylvania State House of Representatives, 1850; died, Sunday May 2, 1875, at home, 238 Pine Street, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County Pennsylvania; interment, Lafayette Cemetery, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania.

Early Career:

Supervised, Philadelphia’s yellow fever hospital, 1820; served, Philadelphia Board of Health; enlisted, first medical officer, Fourth United States Infantry, Tampa Bay, Florida, 1823-1824; instrumental in fighting the cholera outbreak, Philadelphia, 1832; director, Philadelphia Bank; president, professor, Materia Medica and Therapeutics, Philadelphia College of Medicine, 1849-1854.

Professional titles; business ownership; board memberships; local government; club memberships:

Trustee, Jefferson College; Trustee, Pennsylvania State Lunatic Asylum, Harrisburg; Secretary, Pennsylvania Society for the Abolishment of Slavery; member, Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania Lodge No. 2, Ancient York Masons.

Pennsylvania Politics:

Elected, Democrat, Pennsylvania State Senate, 2nd district, Philadelphia County, 1827-1838; elected, Speaker of the Senate, 1833-1834, Whig, Pennsylvania State Senate, 2nd district, Philadelphia County, 1837-1838, elected, Speaker of the Senate, 1837-1838. 

Delegate, Baltimore Democratic Convention, 1835; State Board of Prison Inspectors, 1835-1855.

Elected, Whig, Pennsylvania State House of Representatives, 1840. 

Elected, Whig, Pennsylvania State House of Representatives, 1850.

Pennsylvania House of Representatives Biography:

Not available at this time.

Cited:

Cox, Harold. "Senate Members B". Wilkes University Election Statistics Project. Wilkes University.

Jesse R Burden (1797-1875) - Find a Grave Memorial