Augustus Garrett

Augustus Garrett (1801 – November 30, 1848) was an American politician who twice served as Mayor of Chicago (1843–1844, 1845–1846). He was a member of the Democratic Party.

Augustus Garrett
7th and 9th Mayor of Chicago
In office
March 10, 1845[1] – March 3, 1846[2]
Preceded byAlson Sherman
Succeeded byJohn Putnam Chapin
In office
March 7, 1843[3] – April 2, 1844[4]
Preceded byBenjamin Wright Raymond
Succeeded byAlson Sherman
Chicago Alderman from the 2nd Ward
In office
1840–1841
Personal details
Born1801 (1801)
New York, United States
DiedNovember 30, 1848(1848-11-30) (aged 46–47)
Chicago, Illinois
Resting placeRosehill Cemetery
Political partyDemocratic Party
Spouse(s)Eliza Clark
ResidenceChicago, Illinois

Early life and career

Garrett married Eliza Clark in 1825 and moved to Chicago from New York in 1834. He had a small auction house near the Chicago River and by the following year had formed a partnership with the Brown Brothers, which allowed him to become a leading land speculator and auctioneer. By October 1836, he had sales of more than $1.8 million.

From 1840 through 1841, he served as Chicago alderman from the 2nd Ward.[5]

Mayoralties

In 1842, Garrett ran unsuccessfully for Mayor of Chicago. He ran again in 1843 and was elected.

In 1844, Garrett initially won re-election, only to have the election invalidated based on charges of "illegal proceedings and fraud."[6] Garrett ran in a second election that year, but lost to Alson Sherman.

Garrett was again elected mayor in 1845.

During his terms in office, Garrett pushed to have the first brick school in Chicago, Dearborn School, turned into either a warehouse or an insane asylum, believing that the building was too large for use as a school.[7]

Death and legacy
Garrett's grave at Rosehill Cemetery

Augustus Garrett died at the Sherman House Hotel in Chicago on November 30, 1848 and was buried in Rosehill Cemetery.[8] Following his death, Eliza established the Garrett Bible Institute, now Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, in nearby Evanston, Illinois.

References
  1. "Mayor Augustus Garrett Inaugural Address, 1845". www.chipublib.org. Chicago Public Library. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  2. "Mayor John Putnam Chapin Biography". www.chipublib.org. Chicago Public Library. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  3. "Mayor Augustus Garrett Inaugural Address, 1843". www.chipublib.org. Chicago Public Library. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  4. "Mayor Alson Smith Sherman Biography". www.chipublib.org. Chicago Public Library. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  5. "Centennial List of Mayors, City Clerks, City Attorneys, City Treasurers, and Aldermen, elected by the people of the city of Chicago, from the incorporation of the city on March 4, 1837 to March 4, 1937, arranged in alphabetical order, showing the years during which each official held office". Archived from the original on September 4, 2018. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
  6. Garrett, Augustus (March 7, 1844). "Inaugural Address of Mayor Augustus Garrett". Chicago Public Library. Retrieved June 5, 2012.
  7. Gale, Edwin O. (1902). Reminiscences of Early Chicago and Vicinity. Chicago: Revell. pp. 384.
  8. "Augustus Garrett". Buffalo Weekly Republic. December 19, 1848. p. 7. Retrieved April 4, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
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