Major John B. Downing

Major John B. Downing, born in Rutland in February 1834 to Rodney and Marian Black Downing, was educated at Marietta College and spent 27 years as a pilot and boat owner on the Mississippi River, operating between St. Louis and New Orleans. He became one of the most experienced riverboat pilots on the Mississippi, and Mark Twain sought him out to teach him piloting; Twain later gave him the name "Alligator Jack" and referenced him in Life on the Mississippi. During the Civil War, Downing piloted the fleet in cooperation with General U.S. Grant past the Vicksburg fortress during the famed 1863 Vicksburg Campaign. He married Romaine Miller in 1868, and they had two sons, Miller R. and John B. Jr. An accomplished violinist, marksman, and hunter, he died in March 1914 and was buried in Middleport Hill Cemetery.

Middleport, Ohio · United States