Representative George Pierce Ikirt

George Pierce Ikirt (November 3, 1852 – February 12, 1927) was an American physician and Democratic politician who served one term as a United States Representative from Ohio from 1893 to 1895. He was born near West Beaver, southeast of Gavers in Wayne Township, Columbiana County, Ohio. Raised in rural eastern Ohio, he attended the public schools of New Lisbon, Ohio, receiving the basic education that would support his later professional and political pursuits.

As a young man, Ikirt taught school and studied law, reflecting an early interest in both education and public affairs. His plans to enter the legal profession were interrupted when ill health compelled him to abandon both teaching and legal studies. This setback led him to redirect his ambitions toward medicine, a field in which he would establish his primary professional identity.

Ikirt pursued medical education first at Columbus Medical College in Ohio. He then moved to Cincinnati and completed his medical training at the Cincinnati College of Medicine and Surgery, from which he graduated in 1877. Following his graduation, he practiced medicine for approximately five years. Seeking further professional advancement, he went to New York City in 1882 and enrolled at Bellevue Hospital Medical College, one of the nation’s leading medical institutions. He was graduated from Bellevue in 1883 and subsequently returned to Ohio, resuming medical practice in East Liverpool, Columbiana County, where he became a well-known local physician.

Alongside his medical career, Ikirt became increasingly active in Democratic Party politics. He first sought national office as an unsuccessful candidate for election to the Fifty-first Congress in 1888. Undeterred by this initial defeat, he remained engaged in political life and party affairs. His persistence was rewarded when he was elected as a Democrat to the Fifty-third Congress, serving from March 4, 1893, to March 3, 1895, as a Representative from Ohio. During this single term in the United States House of Representatives, he participated in the legislative process during a significant period in American history, representing the interests of his Ohio constituents and contributing to the work of the Democratic majority in the early 1890s. He declined to be a candidate for renomination in 1894, thereby limiting his congressional service to one term.

After leaving Congress, Ikirt returned to East Liverpool and resumed the full-time practice of medicine. He continued to serve the community as a physician, maintaining his professional standing and local influence long after his brief tenure in national office. His later years were spent in the same region where he had been born and educated, reflecting a lifelong connection to Columbiana County and its communities.

Ikirt’s personal life included two marriages. He married Mary L. Hasson in 1873. This first marriage ended tragically with her death in 1876, leaving him with a son, Frank H. Ikirt. In 1880 he married Mary E. Holmes; this second marriage produced five children, expanding his family as his medical and political careers developed. His family life and professional commitments were both centered in Ohio, particularly in East Liverpool.

George Pierce Ikirt died in East Liverpool, Ohio, on February 12, 1927. He was interred in Riverview Cemetery in that city. Remembered as both a practicing physician and a Democratic member of the House of Representatives, his career combined medical service with a brief but notable period of national legislative responsibility.