Amos Westcott was born on April 28, 1815, in
Newport, New York, the youngest of seven children. His father, Gorton Westcott, was a farmer. Amos attended local schools but, according to a profile in the 1910
History of Dental Surgery, "as a boy manifested a desire to obtain an education beyond the ability of his parents to provide." As a result, Westcott began teaching district school during the winter in Delphi in
Onondaga County, and during the summer attending an academy in
Truxton, New York. he taught chemistry, natural philosophy, and mathematics at the
Pompey Academy in
Pompey, New York, while studying medicine with Jehiel Stearns. Westcott spent 1836 to 1837 or 1838 at the academy, He soon became involved in local politics, serving first as an Alderman of Syracuse and being elected
Mayor in 1860. Nine years later he was a member of a consortium that purchased the
Cardiff Giant, an archeological hoax, and displayed it in Syracuse. Westcott's health failed in 1871, and he visited Europe for several years in an unsuccessful attempt to improve his health. He returned to Syracuse and died by suicide on July 6, 1873, with no explanation. == Personal life ==