Frank St. John Sidway (December 15, 1869 – January 17, 1938), was a

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 ...

lawyer and National Guard leader. He also served as chairman of the Erie County

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

, and was a candidate for

lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

in 1914.

Early life

Sidway was born on December 15, 1869, to

Franklin Sidway Franklin Sidway (July 7, 1834 – March 20, 1920) was an American businessman and banker from Buffalo, New York, known for building the Sidway Building in Buffalo, the Spaulding-Sidway house in Grand Island, and commissioning the 1865 painting, ...

(1834–1920) and Charlotte Spaulding (d. 1934). Sidway was the grandson of Elbridge Gerry Spaulding (1809–1897), who was a lawyer, banker, and politician.Mr. Spaulding and Greenback Resumption (1875, October 16). In ''The Commercial and Financial Chronicle'' (Vol. XXI, p. 358). New York, NY: William B. Dana.
/ref> Spaulding supported the idea for the first U.S. currency not backed by gold or silver, thus helping to keep the Union economy afloat during the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

. Sidway's siblings were: Harold Spaulding Sidway (b. 1868), who married Mary Chase, Edith Sidway (1872-1958), who married William Allen Gardner (1869-1941), Clarence Spaulding Sidway (1877-1953), who married Genevieve Clark Hingston (1880-1939), and Ralph Huntington Sidway (1884-1936), who married Stephana Ostrom (Barnum) Sidway (1882-1962). Sidway attended

Phillips Exeter Academy (not for oneself) la, Finis Origine Pendet (The End Depends Upon the Beginning) gr, Χάριτι Θεοῦ (By the Grace of God) , location = 20 Main Street , city = Exeter, New Hampshire , zipcode ...

then

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

, graduating in 1893. After Harvard, he attended University at Buffalo Law School, graduating in 1894.

Career

After Harvard, he worked in the

American Exchange Bank The American Exchange Bank is an Italian Renaissance Revival-style business block built in 1871 in Madison, Wisconsin, and is one of the last such structures left on the Capitol Square. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in ...

and the Farmers and Mechanics Bank of Buffalo. After graduating from Law School, he studied with the law firm of Lewis, Moot & Lewis, until his admission to the bar in 1894. After being admitted to the bar, he practiced in the office of Sprague, Moot, Sprague & Brownell until 1897. In 1897, he left Sprague, Moot, Sprague & Brownell and went out on his own, establishing his own practice focusing primarily on real estate. As an attorney, he was responsible for all Sidway family interests in Buffalo, including the management of the Sidway building at Main and Goodell Streets.

Military career

March 1, 1894, he was commissioned as

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

in the Seventy-fourth infantry regiment of the

New York National Guard The New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs (NYS DMNA) is responsible for the state's New York Army National Guard, New York Air National Guard, New York Guard and the New York Naval Militia. It is headed by Adjutant General of New ...

. On December 15, 1898, also his 29th birthday, he was commissioned a captain of the 202nd New York Volunteer Infantry and set sail for

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

as part of the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...

. His regiment was the first body of United States troops to enter Cuba where he served throughout the campaign. In 1902, he resigned from the regiment. In 1917, fourteen years after he resigned, he was again commissioned major of the depot battalion of the Seventy-fourth. On December 6, 1917, when the United States entered

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, he was promoted to

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

of that regiment and led in organizing the command that took the place of the regular regiment after its departure for a mobilization camp.

Personal life

On April 16, 1903, Sidway married Amelia Minirva Roberts (1881-1972), the daughter of James A. Roberts, former comptroller of the state of New York. They lived at 37 Oakland Place in Buffalo, and together, they had three daughters: * Margaret St. John Sidway, who married James Kent Averill (living in

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...

in 1938) * Edith Sidway, who married Stevan I. Stevens (living in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

in 1938) * Martha Sidway, who married Roger K. Adams (living in

in 1938) He served as department commander of the

United Spanish War Veterans The United Spanish War Veterans was an American veterans' organization which consisted of veterans of the Spanish–American War, Philippine–American War and China Relief Expedition. Origins Soon after the Spanish–American War ended, in early ...

and a member of the Naval and Military Order of the Spanish–American War. In Buffalo, he served as president the Main Street Association, Inc. (1936-1937), president of the Buildings Manufacturers Association (1926-1927), vice-president of the Robertson Cataract Electric Company, and was chairman of the Erie County Republican Committee from 1909 to 1910. He was also a member of the Buffalo Club,

Saturn Club Saturn Club is a private social club, founded in 1885, in Buffalo in Erie County, New York that currently operates out of an National Register of Historic Places-listed building at 977 Delaware Ave. in Buffalo, New York. History In 1885, The Satu ...

and the Ellicott Club of Buffalo, a life member of the Buffalo Library, the

Buffalo Fine Arts Academy Buffalo most commonly refers to: * Bubalina, including most "Old World" buffalo, such as water buffalo * Bison, including the American buffalo * Buffalo, New York Buffalo or buffaloes may also refer to: Animals * Bubalina, a subtribe of the tr ...

, and the

Buffalo Historical Society The Buffalo History Museum (founded as the Buffalo Historical Society, and later named the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society) is located at 1 Museum Court (formerly 25 Nottingham Court) in Buffalo, New York, just east of Elmwood Avenue and ...

. Sidway died in Buffalo on January 17, 1938. He is interred at Forest Lawn Cemetery.

Boathouse

In the late 1930s, Sidway moved the now-

NRHP The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

listed Spaulding-Sidway Boathouse in

Grand Island, New York Grand Island is an island town in Erie County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town's population was 21,389 representing an increase of 5.00% from the 2010 census figure. The town's name derives from the French name ''La Grand ...

about 270 feet northwest to his property in order to save the boathouse from demolition when the Spaulding estate was acquired in order to become

Beaver Island State Park Beaver Island State Park is a New York state park located on Grand Island in northwestern Erie County, New York in the United States. It is situated at the southern end of the island on the bank of the Niagara River and served by the Beaver Isl ...

. ''See also:''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sidway, Frank St. John 1869 births 1938 deaths Phillips Exeter Academy alumni Harvard University alumni University at Buffalo Law School alumni New York (state) Republicans New York (state) lawyers Lawyers from Buffalo, New York Burials at Forest Lawn Cemetery (Buffalo)