David Fisher was born in Somerset County, PA, on December
3, 1794. The Fisher family moved to Point Pleasant in
Clermont County, Ohio, in 1799. He grew up as a pioneer
farmer, and received only a very basic education. He
later pursued preparatory studies for the ministry,
becoming a lay preacher and a newspaper contributor.
In 1834 Fisher launched his political career by becoming
a member of the Ohio House of Representatives. In 1844
David ran unsuccessfully for governor seat, returning
to newspaper work and in 1846 became the editor and
proprietor of a newspaper in Wilmington, Ohio. He went
right back into politics that year, this time by running
for Congress. He won the election and represented the
2nd District of Ohio to the 30th Congress. Fisher ran
for election as a Whig, which was the Party aligned
with opponents of Andrew Jackson. Politically, Fisher
was an ardent protectionist.
Fisher served in Congress as a contemporary of one
former President and one future President. Abraham Lincoln
was also a freshman member of Congress during Fisher's
term in Congress, and Fisher supported Lincoln's more
moderate (and then somewhat unpopular) views regarding
the South. When Lincoln left Congress to seek a position
as commissioner of the general land office, David Fisher
wrote a letter of recommendation on Lincoln's behalf.
During Fisher's time in Congress, he sat in the seat
next to former President John Quincy Adams. In February,
1848, Adams collapsed from a stroke, and Fisher caught
him before he fell. Adams regained consciousness only
long enough to say his last words, "This is the end
of the earth. I am content," and died two days later
in the Speaker's office, where he had been carried.
Fisher did not receive the nomination to run again
in 1848, though, and returned to Cincinnati. After leaving
Congress, Fisher involved himself in local politics
and became the city magistrate of Cincinnati in 1849.
In 1851, he once again resumed his newspaper work. He
was also known as a generous philanthropist. On May
7, 1886, Fisher died near Mount Holly, Ohio. He was
buried in Wesleyan Cemetery in Cincinnati.
Sources:
Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
Scholarly Journal of the Ohio Historical Society,
Vol. 68, pg. 226
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