Josiah Gardner Abbott (November 1, 1814 – June 2, 1891) was an American politician who served in the Massachusetts General Court and as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts.

Early life

Abbott was born in Chelmsford, Middlesex County, Massachusetts on 1 November 1814. Both Josiah and Caroline were descended from officers who served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Together, they were the parents of:

  • Henry Livermore Abbott (1842–1864), a Major in the Union Army during the Civil War who was posthumously awarded the grade of brevet brigadier general.
  • Fletcher Morton Abbott (1843–1925)
  • Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774-1989: Bicentennial Edition. United States: Government Printing Office, 1989.
  • Appleton's Cyclopedia of American Biography, edited by James Grant Wilson, John Fiske and Stanley L. Klos. Six volumes, New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1887-1889
  • Guide to Abbott family Civil War letters at Houghton Library, Harvard University