John Brooks was born in Medford, Mass. in 1752, the son of Caleb and Ruth (Albree) Brooks. He received medical training from Dr. Simon Tufts and began his own medical practice in 1774, the same year that he married Lucy Smith. He served as an officer in the Battles of Lexington and Concord and served under George Washington in the New York and New Jersey campaign of 1776. After the war he returned to medical practice, but continued to be active in the state militia, helping to put down Shays' Rebellion in 1787 and serving in the militia during the War of 1812. Brooks was elected governor of Massachusetts in 1816 and subsequently was re-elected every year until 1823 when he retired from public service. He died at his home in Medford in 1825.