Reeve, James Theodore M.D.

Other Events:

• Reference Number: 5600
• Military Service: Bef 1866; Civil War
• Biography: 1911; History of Outagamie County, Wisconsin Page 1022

Notes:

Biography:
REEVE, James Theodore, M. D., of Appleton, for many years prominent as a physician, and as secretary and executive officer of the state board of health, was born in Walkill, Orange county, N. Y., April 26th, 1834. His father was Daniel Reeve, a farmer; and his mother's maiden name was Mary Valentine. Both parents were from highly esteemed families and were possessed of sterling characters. His father was a man of local prominence, but died when James was only six years of age. After his father's death his mother moved to Goshen, in the same county, where his boyhood was thenceforth spent. He received his education in the common schools and in Farmers' Hall Academy, in Orange county, then the best institute of learning in that vicinity. His medical studies were pursued under the direction of Dr. G. P. Reevs of Page 507 Goshen, and his medical degree was taken at the Castleton Medical College, Vermont, but he subsequently took another course of lectures in the Jefferson Medical College of Philadelphia, from which he also graduated. His first settlement as a physician was at De Pere, Wis., but he removed to a larger field at Green Bay in 1860, and from that place he entered the army in September, 1861, as second assistant surgeon of the Tenth Wisconsin regiment. This regiment was in no general engagement during the time that Dr. Reeve was with it, but it participated in the daring raid of Gen. O. M. Mitchell, which resulted in the capture of Huntsville, Ala., in April, 1862. Dr. Reeve remained with until July, 1862, when he returned to Wisconsin on business for the regiment, and while at home was transferred to the Twenty-first Wisconsin regiment, then just organized at Oshkosh, as first assistant surgeon, and in the following November became surgeon of that regiment, remaining in that connection until the close of the war. The Twenty- first was prematurely hurried to the field in September and placed on guard duty opposite Louisville. The Tenth regiment, by a retrogade movement, had arrived at the same place, and as fortune would have it the two regiments were put into the same division, and together they had their first taste of real battle at Perryville, Ky., October 8th. The Twenty-first had then been only thirty-four days in service, nearly every one of which had been days of active marching or of work in the trenches. Of the drill of soldiers or the management of troops it knew almost nothing--it was without regimental colors, was supplied with arms of the poorest quality, was exhausted from hard day's work in guarding wagon trains, yet it was put in the forefront of the battle, in advance even of the main line, where in about two hours it lost in killed and wounded one hundred and forty-three men. The Tenth lost as heavily. Dr. Reeve was at once assigned to hospital duty, and received in connection therewith special honorable mention for faithfulness of service. On being relieved from this duty he rejoined his regiment and was with it in a sharp skirmish with rebel cavalry at Jefferson Pike, December 30th. The next day, December 31st, 1862, the bloody battle of Stone River began. The Twenty-first was actively engaged and Dr. Reeve was again assigned to hospital duty in one of the field hospitals close in rear of the troops. Here he remained for several weeks, and from this time on he was frequently absent from his regiment, being detailed for hospital duty in various places. At Chickamauga, September 19th, 1863, Dr. Reeve was given charge of a hospital which it afterwards became apparent must fall into the hands of the enemy, and with this in prospect, and with his consent, he was detailed by the medical director to remain and be captured with the hospital. There was time for only a few hurried lines explaining the situation before the troops retreated past the hospital, and for a time it was between the two armies and in danger from the fire of both. At night, however, the wavering lines of rebels fell back and the hospital was again within the Union lines. During the night and early morning all the Page 508 wounded were removed, but the last of this was not finished until after all our troops had retreated and the rebels were close at had, Dr. Reeve being the last man to leave the hospital. Later in the day the doctor established a new hospital, and with it was captured on the following morning and taken to Libby prison, from which he was released by exchange in the November following. Returning to his regiment, which was then at Lookout Mountain, Tenn., he was assigned to take charge of the brigade hospital, but on the forward movement of the army he rejoined his regiment and was with it in various engagements, among them Resaca, Kenesaw Mountain, the siege of Atlanta, "with Sherman to the Sea," the siege of Savannah, and later at Averysboro and Bentonville. During the latter part of the war Dr. Reeve was promoted to the position of brigade surgeon, and at the close of the war he had been again promoted and was acting chief surgeon of the division. Among his most cherished relics of the army is the order of his commanding general--which was not given until almost the last possible moment-- releasing him from this position that he might be mustered out with his regiment at the close of the war. This order reads as follows: "Surgeon Reeve, Twenty-first Wisconsin volunteers, acting chief surgeon of the First division, Fourteenth army corps, is hereby relieved from duty at these headquarters, with the full assurance that he has discharged his every honestly, faithfully and industriously." At the close of the war Dr. Reeve settled in Appleton, where he still resides. He is a member of George D. Eggleston Post, No. 133, G. A. R., and of the Wisconsin Commandery, Loyal Legion. He is medical director, Department of Wisconsin of the G. A. R., having first appointed to this office by Commander Hoard in 1895, and twice since then elected to the same office by the department at the encampments of 1896 and 1897. Dr. Reeve has always been a Republican, but has never held or been a candidate for a strictly political office; on the passage of the law requiring the inspection of illuminating oils in Wisconsin, he was, however, appointed by the governor as the supervisor of inspectors, in which capacity he organized this service throughout the state. With this exception the offices held by him have been closely connected and in harmony with his professional work, which he has ever held to be of the first importance. He was appointed pension examining surgeon soon after the close of the war, and held that office for about twenty-five years. He has always been an active supporter of medical associations, and has been president of the Fox River Valley Medical society. He was secretary of the State Medical society of Wisconsin from 1871 to 1889, with the exception of one year, in which he was president of the society. He has several times been a delegate to the American Medical association, and he has held the offices of both secretary and president of its section on state medicine and public hygiene. He was delegate to and member of the international medical congress in 1876, and a member of the national committee on organization of the Pan- American medical congress in 1893. Dr. Reeve is probably best known to the people of the state through his connection with the state board of health, of which he was secretary and executive officer from the organization of the board in 1876 for a period of eighteen consecutive years. He justly esteems this as the most important civil office he ever held, its duties requiring the constant exercise of careful judgment, as much of its work during these years was pioneer work and along lines for which there was but little by way of precedent in other states. He resigned this office in 1894, and spent a year in Europe, and since his return has given his whole attention to the practice of his profession. He has for many years been a member of and an officer in the First Congregational church of Appleton. He was married November 26th, 1857, to Page 509 Miss Laura Spofford, of Essex, Essex county, Mass. They have had six children, three of whom died in very early infancy. The other three, James S., Katharine M. and Howard D., are living. The oldest of these, James S., is a physician, a graduate with special honor from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of New York, and is associated with his father in the practice of his profession. Dr. Reeve received the honorary degree of A. M. from Ripon College in 1882, an appropriate and deserved recognition of the value of his long and faithful professional services in official positions.

James — Unknown, Unknownf. Unknownf died Yes, date unknown. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Reference Number: 5600
• Biography: 1911; History of Outagamie County, Wisconsin Page 1023

Notes:

Biography:
JAMES S. REEVE, M. D., a leading member of the Outagamie county medical profession, whose chosen field of practice during the past twenty years has been the city of Appleton, is a native of Groveland, Massachusetts, where he was born August 23, 1864, a son of Dr. James Theodore Reeve, whose sketch immediately precedes this. He received his early education in the Pestalozzian school, which was founded by Anson Ballard, an old pioneer of Outagamie county, Professor Jordan, now of Leland Stanford University, then being its president. Later he graduated from Lawrence University, and in 1885 entered Johns Hopkins University for a year's postgraduate work. He studied at the medical department of Harvard College, and graduated from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of New York, and spent one year and six months at the Methodist Hospital, Brooklyn, after which he practiced for three years in Appleton. Dr. Reeve at this time took a trip to Germany and and Austria for a year's study, and in 1891 returned to Appleton, where he has since been engaged in an extensive practice, having been associated with his father for sixteen years. By inheritance and choice Dr. Reeve became a physician, and the name which his father made eminent he has perpetuated. He is a member of the Alpha Mu Pi Omega and of the state, county and national medical associations, and holds the position of surgeon for the Northwestern Railroad. Dr. Reeve is a director in the First National Bank of Appleton.
On June 16, 1891, Dr. Reeve was married to Alfreda Noyes, of Georgetown, Massachusetts, daughter of Alfred B. Noyes. Dr. and Mrs. Reeve are consistent attendants of the Congregational Church.