Senator Daniel Sturgeon - Contact Information

Daniel Sturgeon (October 27, 1789 – July 3, 1878) was an American physician, banker, and Democratic Party politician from Uniontown, Pennsylvania, who served as a United States Senator from Pennsylvania from 1839 to 1851. He was born on October 27, 1789, in Mount Pleasant Township in what is now Adams County, Pennsylvania. In 1804 he moved with his parents to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he spent his youth. He pursued classical and medical studies, attending Jefferson College in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, and later Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, preparing for a professional career in medicine.

After completing his medical education, Sturgeon established a medical practice in Uniontown, Pennsylvania. He practiced medicine there until 1813, when he was appointed county coroner, marking his first formal public office. During this early period in Uniontown, he also became involved in local business and banking interests, experience that would later complement his financial and legislative responsibilities in state and national office.

Sturgeon’s political career began in the Pennsylvania state legislature. He served in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 1818 until 1824, representing his constituents during a period of growth and change in the Commonwealth. In 1825 he entered the Pennsylvania State Senate for the 19th district, serving there until 1830. During the final two years of his term in the State Senate, he was elected President of that body, reflecting the confidence of his colleagues in his leadership and legislative abilities. Following his service in the State Senate, he was appointed Pennsylvania Auditor General, a position he held from 1830 until 1836, overseeing the financial accounts and fiscal integrity of the state.

Sturgeon continued to hold important statewide financial offices as his career advanced. Immediately prior to his election to the United States Senate, he served as Pennsylvania Treasurer from 1838 until 1839, managing the Commonwealth’s finances at a time of expanding internal improvements and economic development. His combined experience as a physician, banker, legislator, and fiscal officer positioned him as a prominent Democratic leader in Pennsylvania politics.

Daniel Sturgeon served as a Senator from Pennsylvania in the United States Congress from 1839 to 1851. Elected by the state legislature to the United States Senate on January 14, 1840, he was chosen to fill the term that had commenced on March 4, 1839. A member of the Democratic Party, Sturgeon contributed to the legislative process during two terms in office, and he was re-elected to the Senate in 1845. He was not a candidate for re-election in 1851, and his term expired in March 1851. During his Senate service, which occurred during a significant period in American history marked by debates over territorial expansion, economic policy, and sectional tensions, he participated in the democratic process and represented the interests of his Pennsylvania constituents. While a U.S. Senator, Sturgeon served as chairman of the Committee on Patents and the Patent Office and the Committee on Agriculture, giving him influence over legislation affecting technological innovation, intellectual property, and the nation’s agricultural interests. The Senate seat on which Sturgeon served is now held by Democratic Senator Bob Casey Jr.

Following his tenure in the U.S. Senate, Sturgeon remained in public service at the federal level. He was appointed treasurer of the United States Mint in Philadelphia by President Franklin Pierce, serving in that capacity from 1853 until 1858. In this role he drew on his longstanding experience in finance and public administration, overseeing important monetary functions at a time when the nation’s coinage system was expanding alongside economic growth.

In his later years, Sturgeon returned to Uniontown, Pennsylvania, where he had long maintained his home and professional ties. He died there on July 3, 1878, closing a long life that spanned from the early years of the republic through the post–Civil War era. Throughout his career, he was recognized as a physician, banker, and Democratic Party politician who served in both houses of the Pennsylvania state legislature and represented Pennsylvania in the United States Senate during more than a decade of national transformation.