John Silva Meehan

John Silva Meehan (6 February 1790 – 24 April 1863) was an American printer and publisher.[1] He was the fourth Librarian of the United States Congress from 1829 to 1861.

John Silva Meehan
John Silva Meehan
4th Librarian of Congress
In office 1829–1861
President	Andrew Jackson Martin Van Buren William Henry Harrison John Tyler James K. Polk Zachary Taylor Millard Fillmore Franklin Pierce James Buchanan
Preceded by	George Watterston
Succeeded by	John Gould Stephenson
Personal details
Born	(1790-02-06)February 6, 1790 New York, New York
Died	April 24, 1863(1863-04-24) (aged 73) Washington, D.C.
Nationality	American
Known for	Librarian of Congress

Meehan, a United States Democratic party member, was appointed Librarian of Congress by President Andrew Jackson, replacing in the post the Whig-activist George Watterston, who opposed Jackson. He and his congressional supporters advocated limits on the size of the library. Many of the library's functions were transferred to other government agencies. When a fire destroyed 35,000 volumes in 1851, including two-thirds of the materials originally provided by President Thomas Jefferson, the money provided by Congress for restoration was used solely for replacing lost materials and not for expansion. Meehan did provide a small collection of periodicals for congressional perusal which, under later librarians, became the periodicals division.[2]

Meehan served under nine presidents. Despite congressional opposition, President Abraham Lincoln replaced Meehan with a Republican supporter, John G. Stephenson.[3][4]