Representative Jacob Shower

Jacob Shower (February 22, 1803 – May 25, 1879) was an American physician and Democratic politician from Maryland who served in the Maryland House of Delegates and in the United States House of Representatives in the mid-nineteenth century. He was born in Manchester, Maryland, then part of Baltimore County, on February 22, 1803. During his youth he attended private schools at Emmitsburg, Maryland, receiving a basic education that prepared him for professional study. While still a young man, he served as a drummer in the War of 1812, participating in the conflict that helped shape the early national identity of the United States and exposing him at an early age to public service and civic duty.

Following his early schooling and military service, Shower pursued medical education in Baltimore. He enrolled in the medical department of the University of Maryland at Baltimore, one of the leading medical institutions in the country at the time, and completed his studies there. He graduated in 1825 and was licensed to practice medicine. After receiving his degree, he returned to his native region and commenced the practice of his profession in Carroll County, Maryland, where he established himself as a local physician. His medical practice connected him closely with the communities of central Maryland and provided him with a respected standing that would later support his entry into political life.

Shower’s involvement in politics began during the era of Andrew Jackson’s rise to national prominence. In 1824 he became a charter member of the first Andrew Jackson Club in the State of Maryland, aligning himself early with the Jacksonian movement that would evolve into the Democratic Party. This affiliation placed him among the initial organizers and supporters of Jacksonian democracy in Maryland and reflected his commitment to the political currents favoring broader popular participation in government. His activity in this organization helped establish his reputation within Democratic circles and laid the groundwork for his subsequent election to public office.

Building on his political engagement, Shower entered state politics in the 1830s. He was elected as a Democratic member of the Maryland House of Delegates and served in that body from 1834 to 1840. During these six years in the state legislature, he represented the interests of his constituents in what would become Carroll County and participated in the legislative affairs of Maryland at a time of economic development and party realignment. After his service in the House of Delegates, he continued his public career in the judicial-administrative sphere, serving as clerk of the circuit court of Carroll County from 1842 to 1850. In this capacity he was responsible for maintaining court records and supporting the operation of the county’s judicial system, a role that further solidified his influence in local government.

Shower’s experience and standing in Maryland politics led to his participation in the restructuring of the state’s fundamental law. In 1851 he served as a delegate to the Maryland constitutional convention, which convened to revise and modernize the state constitution. His selection as a delegate reflected both his legal-administrative experience as circuit court clerk and his legislative background. At the convention he joined other prominent Marylanders in debating issues of representation, judicial organization, and state governance that would shape Maryland’s political framework in the years leading up to the Civil War.

On the strength of his long record in state and local office, Shower was elected as a Democrat to the Thirty-third Congress. He represented Maryland in the United States House of Representatives from March 4, 1853, to March 3, 1855. His term in Congress coincided with the administration of President Franklin Pierce and a period of growing sectional tension over slavery and territorial expansion. As a Democratic member of the House, he participated in the national legislative process during a critical phase in the nation’s history, though the surviving record provides limited detail on his specific committee assignments or legislative initiatives. After serving a single term, he was not returned to Congress and concluded his federal legislative career at the end of the Thirty-third Congress.

Following his departure from Congress, Shower returned to private life in Maryland. He resumed the practice of medicine, again serving the communities in and around Manchester and Carroll County as a physician. He continued to reside in his native town, maintaining the dual identity he had held for much of his adult life as both a medical practitioner and a public man. Jacob Shower died in Manchester, Maryland, on May 25, 1879. His life spanned from the early republic through the post–Civil War era, and his career reflected the intertwined paths of professional service and Democratic politics in nineteenth-century Maryland.