Benjamin Sherman (1792 – 1872) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

politician who served one term in the

Michigan House of Representatives The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower house of the Michigan Legislature. There are 110 members, each of whom is elected from constituencies having approximately 77,000 to 91,000 residents, based on population figures from the 2010 ...

in its first session after adoption of the state constitution.

Biography

Benjamin Sherman was born in Connecticut in 1792. He settled in Genesee County, New York, and was a contractor on the

Erie Canal The Erie Canal is a historic canal in upstate New York that runs east-west between the Hudson River and Lake Erie. Completed in 1825, the canal was the first navigable waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, vastly reducing t ...

project. He moved to Nottawa,

Michigan Territory The Territory of Michigan was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 30, 1805, until January 26, 1837, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Michigan. Detroit w ...

in 1825. He was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

to the

in the first election under the state's constitution in 1835, and served through 1836. He was the St. Joseph County coroner from 1833 to 1837, a county supervisor in 1832, a justice of the peace from 1836 to 1846, and a lieutenant colonel in the state militia in 1835. He also served as the register of the United States land office at

Ionia, Michigan Ionia is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Ionia County, Michigan, United States. The population was 13,378 at the 2020 census. Every July it hosts what is said to be the world's largest free-admission fair. The city is mostly within ...

, under Presidents Martin Van Buren and

Franklin Pierce Franklin Pierce (November 23, 1804October 8, 1869) was the 14th president of the United States, serving from 1853 to 1857. He was a northern Democrat who believed that the abolitionist movement was a fundamental threat to the nation's unity ...

. Sherman Township was named after him in 1829, and he began running a tavern there in 1831. Sherman died in 1872.

Notes

References

* * * 1792 births 1872 deaths Democratic Party members of the Michigan House of Representatives 19th-century American legislators People from Michigan Territory {{Michigan-politician-stub