Francis Xavier Schwab (1874–1946) was
Mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...
of the City of
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 ...
, serving 1922–1929. He was born on Smith Street on the Buffalo's East Side on August 14, 1874. At 19, he became a foreman at the Pullman Palace Car Company, then known as the Wagner Palace Car Company, and took a job as a traveling salesman for the company. He then became a
brewery solicitor, eventually becoming the highest paid brewery solicitor in Buffalo. He married Theresa M. Lauser on September 24, 1901. He opened a wholesale and retail liquor store at Broadway and Jefferson Avenue in 1912. He became president and general manager of the Mohawk Products Company; the merged Buffalo Brewing Company and the Cooperative Brewing Company formed during
Prohibition
Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic ...
to make
near-beer
Low-alcohol beer is beer with little or no Ethanol, alcohol content and aims to reproduce the taste of beer while eliminating (or at least reducing) the inebriating effects of standard alcoholic brews. Most low-alcohol beers are lagers, but there ...
.
Schwab's rise in the Buffalo brewing industry was short-lived because of the enactment of prohibition in 1919. Even though Schwab transitioned into the production of near beer he would take the opportunity to speak out against the Volstead Act whenever possible. "By this time, Frank Schwab had developed a personal style that delighted his friends and infuriated his enemies". The Buffalo Brewing company, Schwab's brewery, was raided by Federal agents who found illegal beer resulting in an indictment for Schwab. Schwab was an unlikely candidate for mayor. He had no political experience, he was Catholic, and under federal indictment for illegal possession of alcohol. But in 1921, as a joke the Knights of St. John circulated a petition on behalf of Schwab for his mayoral candidacy.
[Murphy, Dan "Nickel City Drafts: A Drinking History of Buffalo, NY"]
He was elected mayor on November 8, 1921, as the
Republican candidate. During his term, in the summer of 1922, the last and most bitter
street railway
A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...
strike occurred; Schwab declared a transportation emergency and authorized the running of buses. Finally, the International Railway Company went
open shop
An open shop is a place of employment at which one is not required to join or financially support a union (closed shop) as a condition of hiring or continued employment.
Open shop vs closed shop
The major difference between an open and closed s ...
and the union was broken. In 1923–1924, the city purchased land for an airfield and, on September 27, 1926, Mayor Schwab laid the cornerstone of the administration building for the
Buffalo Airport. Schwab was easily re-elected to a second term on November 4, 1925. He lost his bid for re-election on November 5, 1929, with Charles Roesch elected mayor. Schwab returned to active management of Mohawk Products Company. He died on April 23, 1946, and was buried in Mt. Calvary Cemetery.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schwab, Frank X.
1874 births
1946 deaths
Mayors of Buffalo, New York
Burials at Forest Lawn Cemetery (Buffalo)
New York (state) Republicans
American brewers