John Jeffries (5 February 1744 – 16 September 1819 using Old Style Dating, 5 February 1745 – 16 September 1819 using New Style)[1][2][3] was an American physician, scientist, and military surgeon with the British Army in Nova Scotia and New York during the American Revolution.
He is best known for accompanying French inventor Jean-Pierre Blanchard on his 1785 balloon flight across the English Channel.
[4][5] Born in Boston, Jeffries graduated from Harvard College [Class of 1763] and obtained his medical degree at the University of Aberdeen.
Despite being named in the Massachusetts Banishment Act, he returned to private practice in Boston, staying there until his death in 1819.
His son John Jeffries II (1796–1876) was an ophthalmic surgeon and co-founded the Massachusetts Charitable Eye and Ear Infirmary.