Biographical Sketch of Dr. John COCHRAN (1893); Chester County, PA Contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by John Morris . *********************************************************************** USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: Printing this file within by non-commercial individuals and libraries is encouraged, as long as all notices and submitter information is included. Any other use, including copying files to other sites requires permission from the submitters PRIOR to uploading to any other sites. We encourage links to the state and county table of contents. http://www.usgwarchives.net/ *********************************************************************** Source: "Biographical and Portrait Cyclopedia of Chester County, Pennsyl- vania, comprising a historical sketch of the county," by Samuel T. Wiley and edited by Winfield Scott Garner, Gresham Publishing Company, Phila- delphia, PA, 1893, page 580. "DR. JOHN COCHRAN, who was appointed general of the hospitals of the Thir- teen Colonies in 1781, was born in Chester county, September 1, 1730. The Cochran family was of Scotch descent. Dr. John Cochran received a grammar school education, read medicine with a Dr. Thompson, and served as a sur- geon's mate during the French and Indian war. In 1777 Washington recom- mended him to congress, and he was appointed as physician and surgeon- general of the army of the middle department. Dr. Cochran discharged the duties of that position so well that in 1781 congress made him director- general of the hospitals of the Thirteen Colonies. Dr. Cochran was on terms of intimacy with Washington, Wayne, Lafayette, Paul Jones, and others. He was a member of the Society of Cincinnati, served as commis- sioner of loans for the State of New York, and died April 6, 1807."