Alson Sherman
Alson Sherman (April 21, 1811 – September 27, 1903) served as Mayor of Chicago, Illinois (1844–1845) for the Independent Democrat Party.
Alson Sherman | |
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8th Mayor of Chicago | |
In office April 2, 1844[1] – March 10, 1845[2] | |
Preceded by | Augustus Garrett |
Succeeded by | Augustus Garrett |
Personal details | |
Born | Barre, Vermont | April 21, 1811
Died | September 27, 1903 92) (aged Waukegan, Illinois |
Political party | Independent Democratic Party |
Spouse(s) | Aurora Abbott |
Children | Alla, Fannie, Kate, Frank, Flora, Walter, Helen, Mary, Nancy, Abijah, Adeline, Marion, Caira, Lucius, |
Residence | Chicago, Illinois |
Sherman was born to Nathanial Sherman and Deborah (Webster) on April 21, 1811, in Barre, Vermont.[3]
Sherman established the first sawmill in Chicago and served as the city's first iceman.[4] In the three years before he was elected mayor, Sherman served as chief of Chicago's fire department.[4] In 1844, Sherman ran for mayor of Chicago after an initial election was election invalidated based on charges of "illegal proceedings and fraud."[5] He ran as an Independent Democratic nominee against incumbent Democrat Augustus Garrett and Liberty Party nominee Henry Smith, winning the office with just over 50% of the vote.[6]
As mayor, he oversaw the city's purchase of its first piece of fire-fighting equipment and appointed Denis Swenie as fire chief. In 1850, he became one of the original trustees of Northwestern University.[8] He moved to Waukegan, Illinois, in 1856.[4] In the 1870s, when a canal being dug in Lemont, Illinois, revealed Athens marble, Sherman was instrumental in developing the marble quarry there.[8] He died in 1903 and was buried in Oakwood Cemetery, Waukegan, Illinois.[9]
References
- "Mayor Alson Smith Sherman Biography". www.chipublib.org. Chicago Public Library. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
- "Mayor Augustus Garrett Inaugural Address, 1845". www.chipublib.org. Chicago Public Library. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
- "Chicago Mayors, 1837-2007". Encyclopedia of Chicago. Retrieved May 6, 2012.
- "Alson S. Sherman Dead". Chicago Daily Tribune. Chicago. September 23, 1903.
- Garrett, Augustus (March 7, 1844). "Inaugural Address of Mayor Augustus Garrett". Chicago Public Library. Retrieved April 15, 2014.
- Walker, Thomas (April 11, 2008). "Chicago Mayor 1844". Our Campaigns. Retrieved May 6, 2012.
- Donovan, Henry F. "Chicago Eagle". Illinois Digital Newspaper Collections. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
- "The History of Chicago's Mayors". Genealogy Trails. Retrieved May 6, 2012.
- "Oak Wood Cemetery, Waukegan". graveyards.com. Matt Hucke. Retrieved December 18, 2013.