| Levi J. Ham | |
| State Senate: | Maine |
| State: | Maine |
| District: | York County |
| Term Start: | 1837 |
| Term End: | 1838 |
| Office2: | 6th Mayor of South Bend, Indiana |
| Term Start2: | 1880 |
| Term End2: | 1884 |
| Preceded2: | Lucius G. Tong |
| Succeeded2: | George W. Loughman |
| Birth Date: | 16 November 1805 |
| Birth Place: | Shapleigh, Massachusetts |
| Children: | 2 |
| Alma Mater: | Dartmouth College Bowdoin College |
| Profession: | Surgeon |
| Birth Name: | Levi Jefferson Ham |
Levi Jefferson Ham (November 16, 1805 – June 11, 1887) was an American politician and surgeon.
Ham was born in Shapleigh, Massachusetts, on November 16, 1805, to a family of Scottish descent.[1] Ham graduated from Dartmouth College in 1828, and received his medical degree from Bowdoin College in 1831.[2] [3] He worked as a doctor in York County, Maine from 1831 until 1845 and then in Erie County, New York from 1846 until 1859, when he relocated to South Bend. Ham maintained a medical practice until 1871.[3]
Ham won election to the Maine Senate in September 1835[2] and served between 1837 and 1838.[4] During Ham's term in the state senate, he served as senate president and was involved in establishing an insane asylum in Maine. He also served on its board. Ham had a role in negotiating the border dispute with Britain.[2] He eventually moved to New York and then South Bend. During the American Civil War, Ham was attached to the 48th Indiana Infantry Regiment.[5] He had extensive service as a surgeon overseeing hospitals and care at various military posts. He was a reluctant mayor of South Bend who served from 1880 to 1884.[2] As mayor of South Bend, he was a member of the Democratic Party.[6]
Ham had a son and a daughter. His son Moses M. Ham ran the Dubuque Herald and served in the Iowa Senate.[2] Levi J. Ham died from dropsy on June 11, 1887.[7] [8]