Brenton D. Babcock (1830–1906) was the 29th

mayor of Cleveland The mayor of Cleveland is the head of the executive branch of Local government in the United States, government of the Cleveland, City of Cleveland, Ohio. As the chief executive in Cleveland's Mayor–council government#Strong-mayor government fo ...

. 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 ...

, he was elected in 1886, serving from 1887 to 1888.

Early life

Babcock was born on October 2, 1830, in

Adams, New York Adams is a town in Jefferson County, New York, United States. Named after President John Adams, the town had a population of 5,143 at the 2010 census. The town contains a village also named Adams. The village and town are south of Watertown. Hi ...

, to William and Elvira Babcock.

Career

Babcock became a clerk for the

Erie Railroad The Erie Railroad was a railroad that operated in the northeastern United States, originally connecting New York City — more specifically Jersey City, New Jersey, where Erie's Pavonia Terminal, long demolished, used to stand — with Lake Erie ...

in 1855, in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

. In 1865, he moved to Cleveland, working for Cross, Payne & Co, a coal dealership.

Politics

Babcock was the Democratic Party's nominee for the mayor of Cleveland in 1886. He defeated the Republican nominee Wm. M. Bayne to win election to a two-year term, serving from 1887 to 1888.

Personal life and death

Babcock was a

Mason Mason may refer to: Occupations * Mason, brick mason, or bricklayer, a craftsman who lays bricks to construct brickwork, or who lays any combination of stones, bricks, cinder blocks, or similar pieces * Stone mason, a craftsman in the stone-cut ...

who was elected high priest of the Ohio lodge in 1898. He died suddenly of

apoplexy Apoplexy () is rupture of an internal organ and the accompanying symptoms. The term formerly referred to what is now called a stroke. Nowadays, health care professionals do not use the term, but instead specify the anatomic location of the bleedi ...

in January 1906, which some of his peers ascribed to a stock market downturn. In his memory, the local Masonic lodge was renamed the Brenton D. Babcock F. & A. M. Lodge.

References

Mayors of Cleveland 1830 births 1906 deaths People from Adams, New York {{Ohio-mayor-stub