Guilbert, Edward A.

Born: 1826-06-12 Watertown, New York

Died: 1900-03-04 Dubuque, Iowa

Flourished: Dubuque, Iowa

Edward A. Guilbert was a physician, homeopath, and Union Army officer. Guilbert attended public schools in his native Watertown, and he also received instruction at the Black River Institute. In 1837, he moved with his family to Chicago, Illinois. Guilbert excelled academically, and in 1843, he began his medical training at the Rush Medical College, graduating in 1847. That same year, he married Kathleen Somers, with whom he would have nine children. He practiced medicine first in Ottawa, Illinois, and later in Waukegan, Illinois. Between 1847 and 1852, Guilbert continued his medical studies, becoming proficient in the new discipline of homoeopathy. He subsequently moved to Elgin, Illinois, and opened a homoeopathic practice. In 1857, Guilbert and his family migrated to Dubuque, Iowa, where he continued his medical practice. Upon commencement of the Civil War, Guilbert became surgeon of the board of enrollment for the Third Congressional District of Iowa, discharging the responsibilities of that position until the end of the war. He encouraged Iowans to enlist, and in May 1864, he enlisted in the Union Army. In June 1864, he became captain of the Forty-Sixth Iowa Volunteer Regiment, leading his company in Western Tennessee until mustering out in September. Leaving the army, Guilbert returned to his medical practice. In addition to his practice, Guilbert lectured at homeopathic colleges in Chicago, Cleveland, and St. Louis. He was an active Freemason, holding numerous degrees and becoming a prolific writer of Masonic literature and contributor to Masonic publications.

The History of Dubuque County, Iowa (Chicago: Western Historical, 1880), 797-98; The United States Biographical Dictionary and Portrait Gallery of Eminent and Self-Made Men: Iowa Volume (Chicago and New York: American Biographical, 1878), 114-18; Roster and Record of Iowa Soldiers in the War of the Rebellion (Des Moines: Emory H. English, 1911), 5:1378, 1403; Obituary, Waterloo Daily Courier (IA), 6 March 1900, 1:6; Gravestone, Linwood Cemetery, Dubuque, IA.