page_title: Thomas R. Potts
section_title: Later years and legacy
hierarchical_section_title: Thomas R. Potts / Later years and legacy
caption_attribution_description: English: Dr.Thomas R. Potts, founder of Minnesota Medical Association and first mayor of St. Paul, Minnesota.
context_page_description: Thomas Reed Potts was an American physician, civic leader and the first Mayor of St. Paul, Minnesota. After graduating from medical school, Potts moved across the country and eventually found his way to the young settlement of St. Paul. Active in civic life and popular in his medical practice, he was elected as the first President of the Town Board. Despite a successful tenure, he tired of politics and retired after one term to continue his practice; however he did hold several key health-related positions. By the time of his death, he was the oldest doctor in the city and one of its most respected.
context_section_description: In 1853 he was one of the founding members of the Minnesota Medical Association, serving as its first president. In 1866 he was elected as City Physician, and as health officer of St. Paul in 1873.  It was while serving as health officer that he died suddenly on October 6, 1874. By the time of his death he was the senior practicing physician of the city.
  Potts lived for many years in a small, white house on Roberts Street in St. Paul, and despite having a large practice and many offices did not care much about money.  He left little in ways of property to his widow, who later lived for a time with the family of Henry Hastings Sibley, who was her brother-in-law.  His daughter Mary Steele married Crawford Livingston, a successful banker and businessman, on January 28, 1875.  His widow went to live with them at their home on 432 Summit Avenue, and later died there on February 1, 1901; she was 80 years of age.  His son Henry S. Potts worked as a county surveyor in Ramsey County, led a party up to the Klondike Gold Rush, and returned to continue public service.
  During his years in St. Paul, Potts was described as an "institution" and "a man everybody liked and of whom an unkind word was never said."  His personality was described as fun, humorous and social, and his practice was termed "kind-hearted". He was considered a strong candidate for any elected position in Ramsey County; however he despised politics and after his brief term as mayor decided to stick to the practice of medicine.
caption: Potts in 1872.
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