John Jeffries

For other people named John Jeffries, see John Jeffries (disambiguation).

John Jeffries
200px John Jeffries
Born	5 February 1745 Boston
Died	16 September 1819 Boston
Cause of death	Strangulated hernia
Resting place	Granary Burying Ground
Residence	Boston
Nationality	American - He was also a known Loyalist to the British.
Education	Harvard College, University of Aberdeen
Occupation	physician, surgeon
Employer	British Army
Known for	ballooning
Home town	Boston
Title	Surgeon General of British Forces in North America 1776-1780
Spouse(s)	Sarah Jeffries (nee Rhoads) - m.1770 and d. 1780; Hannah Jeffries (nee Hunt) m 1787
Children	John Jeffries II, Ann Jeffries
Parent(s)	David Jeffries (1714–1784) and Sarah Jaffrey Jeffries (of 13, 3 with Sarah and 10 with Hannah)

John Jeffries (5 February 1745 – 16 September 1819) was a Boston physician, scientist, and a military surgeon with the British Army in Nova Scotia and New York during the American Revolution.

Biography

Born in Boston, Jeffries graduated from Harvard College and obtained his medical degree at the University of Aberdeen. He is best known for accompanying Jean-Pierre Blanchard on his 1785 balloon flight across the English Channel. Dr. Jeffries also played a large role in the trial for the Boston Massacre as a witness for the defense. He was the surgeon for Patrick Carr, who was one of the Americans shot during that incident.

Jeffries is also credited with being among America's first weather observers. He began taking daily weather measurements in 1774 in Boston, as well as taking weather observations in a balloon over London in 1784. National Weatherperson's Day is celebrated in his honor on 5 February, his birthday. The Archives and Special Collections at Amherst College holds a collection of his papers, including a letter he dropped from the balloon during his historic flight, considered the oldest piece of airmail in existence.

He lived in England from 1776 to 1790. Despite being named in the Massachusetts Banishment Act, he returned to private practice in Boston, staying there until his death in 1819. His son John Jeffries II (1796-1876) was an ophthalmic surgeon and co-founded the Massachusetts Charitable Eye and Ear Infirmary.

External links

• Works by or about John Jeffries in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
• Jeffries Air-Mail Letter Collection, Amherst College Archives and Special Collections
• John Jeffries Papers at Houghton Library, Harvard University