John Luther Vance was born on July 19, 1839, in Gallipolis, Ohio, to Alexander and Eliza Vance. His father was a newspaper editor and surveyor who owned $900 of real estate and $250 of personal property by 1860. He grew up and attended school in Gallipolis, and he graduated from Cincinnati Law School in April 1861.

 

In July 1861, he received a commission as a captain in Company B of the 4^th West Virginia Infantry. The regiment took part in the Vicksburg campaign and the Battle of Missionary Ridge. On May 22, 1863, he was slightly wounded in the chest, hand, and leg. He was promoted to major in January 1863 and to lieutenant colonel later that year. He mustered out on October 8, 1864.

 

He returned to Gallipolis after leaving the army, and he married Emily Shepard around 1866. They had at least three children: Creuzet, born around 1869; John, born around 1872; and Frank, born around 1876. He worked as a lawyer, and by 1870, the family owned $7,700 of personal property. He served as editor of the Gallipolis Bulletin. He supported the Democratic Party, and he served as a delegate to the 1872 Democratic National Convention. He served one term in Congress, from 1875 until 1877.

 

He also served as a railroad director and president of a river improvement association. One writer declared him “one of the most zealous proponents of Ohio River improvement.” He applied for a federal pension in November 1878 and eventually received one. He moved to Columbus, Ohio, in the early 1900s, and he died of “heart trouble” in Gallipolis on June 10, 1921.

 

Image: John L. Vance (courtesy Wikicommons)

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