Dr. Cogswell immediately set up practice in Bradford, Massachusetts in August, 1830. It was his great wish to advance the standard of medical care in Essex County. His practice rapidly grew large and successful, owing to his high code of hard work and intelligent study. Always pursuing current medical knowledge, Dr. Cogswell visited Europe in 1841, visiting hospitals and attending lectures in Paris, the apex of medical investigation at the time. He studied also in London, and upon returning home to his practice, he soon became the leading surgeon and consulting physician in the community and beyond with his forward-thinking and successful operations. He was sought after as a teacher, his remarkable knowledge and thoroughness was attested to by his many students.

In 1841, Dr. Cogswell was offered a professorship in the medical department of one of the leading colleges of New England; he declined. His early vision of the elevation of medical care held its roots in the importance of local commitment. Because of this belief and his focused efforts, the Essex North Medical Association was formed, a consortium of the leading physicians in northern Essex county.

Politically broad-minded both locally and nationally, Dr. Cogswell was a member of the electoral college of Massachusetts, a delegate from the sixth district of Massachusetts to the Chicago convention in 1860, which in that monumental year nominated Abraham Lincoln for president. In 1862 he was appointed, by President Lincoln, collector of internal revenue for the sixth district of Massachusetts, an office he was again appointed to in 1870 by President Grant. An active member in the organization of the recently formed Republican party in Massachusetts, Dr. Cogswell was an ardent supporter of the antislavery movement from the beginning.

Owing to his high regard within the community, Dr. Cogswell was elected to many local trusted positions: president of the Union Bank in Haverhill, vice-president of the Haverhill Savings Bank, and railroad president just to name a few. He was an elected member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and also a member of the New England Historic-Genealogical Society. In 1860, he helped found the “Haverhill Monday Evening Club”, a gentleman’s organization devoted to discussions spanning literary, scientific, and social topics of the day.

Of the many varied interests and causes Dr. Cogswell supported and worked on, none were as pivotal to him as the importance of education, with his greatest connection to the advancement of learning at Bradford Academy. Apart from having the management of its successful financial affairs, as a trustee of the school he went beyond traditional duties in his service by consulting with teachers and advising pupils.

Coinciding with his successful career, Dr. Cogswell was a devoted family man. He had nine children: In 1831 he married Abigail Parker (1808-1845), and had two daughters and three sons. In 1846, he married Elisabeth Doane and had four children, two daughters and two sons. All of his surviving daughters attended Bradford Academy, and his sons attended his alma mater of Dartmouth College.

​Dr. Cogswell died on April 22, 1901, at the age of 93, in Bradford. He was a man widely known for his continuous generosity and hospitable nature. His legacy includes reforms, progress, and elevation of his community. An inspiring role model, we remember his dynamic spirit in our role in community today.