HON. JOE D. SAWYERS, M.D., a graduate of three different medical colleges, occupies the position of a leading practitioner of medicine and surgery in Scott County, where he commands a fine patronage, and has fully established himself in the esteem and confidence of the people. He has been a close student and an extensive reader, and has traveled a great deal through the Western States and territories. Since choosing his profession it has been his aim to excel therein, and he has reason to be proud of what he has been enabled to accomplish in this direction. Politically, he is a Democrat of the first water, and was elected to the Illinois Legislature in the fall of 1887, in which he served with credit to himself and satisfaction to his constituents.

Dr. Sawyers was born April 10, 1851, at his father's homestead near the bluffs in Oxville Precinct, and remained on the farm until a lad of fifteen years. The next three years he was in the West, and in 1869 set out for Prescott, Arizona Territory, where he engaged in teaming and mining in different parts of the Territory, and traveled through the two Mexicos and both the Upper and Lower California, being most of the time with wagon trains and on horseback. He also visited Texas and Colorado, and had some experience with hostile Indians, who at one time killed a number of men of his train. He journeyed through Idaho, Montana, Dakota, Washington and Oregon; was in the Black Hills and Central City gold mines; indeed has been in every State and Territory west of the Mississippi with the exception of Arkansas.

Dr. Sawyers in the fall of 1872 returned to Oxville and attended school two winters. Afterward he worked on the farm and employed his leisure time in studying medicine, for which he always had a great liking. The year following he entered Bennett Medical College at Chicago, from which he was graduated in spring of 1875, with the honors of his class. He began the practice of his profession in Oxville, where he remained until 1881 and then resumed his studies in a medical college at St. Louis, from which he was graduated with honor in the class of 1882. He then resumed practice in Oxville until the year following, when he repaired to Cincinnati and practiced there for a time, finally returning to his native place.

Dr. Sawyers now engaged in agricultural pursuits, operating a farm of 130 acres in connection with his father's homestead. In the meantime he kept himself well posted upon the political affairs of the country, and in the spring of 1886 was made the candidate of the Democratic party in this county for the State Legislature. He was elected by a large majority, and after repairing to the capital served on various committees, namely: State Institutions, Soldiers' Home, and License, and introduced many useful measures which were adopted by his colleagues.