Francis Cornwall Sherman
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Francis Cornwall Sherman (September 18, 1805November 7, 1870) served as
Mayor of Chicago The mayor of Chicago is the chief executive of city government in Chicago, Illinois, the third-largest city in the United States. The mayor is responsible for the administration and management of various city departments, submits proposals and r ...
,
Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
, for three terms (1841–1842, 1862–1865) as a member of the
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...
.


Early life

Sherman was born September 17, 1805 in
Newtown, Connecticut Newtown is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It is part of the Greater Danbury metropolitan area as well as the New York metropolitan area. Newtown was founded in 1705, and later incorporated in 1711. As of the 2020 censu ...
. He married Electa Towbridge of
Danbury, Connecticut Danbury is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, located approximately northeast of New York City. Danbury's population as of 2022 was 87,642. It is the seventh largest city in Connecticut. Danbury is nicknamed the "Hat City ...
.


Career in Chicago

Sherman arrived in Chicago on April 7, 1834. He built a small boardinghouse, and used those profits to buy a
stagecoach A stagecoach is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by four horses although some versions are draw ...
, establishing a stage line from Chicago to
Galena Galena, also called lead glance, is the natural mineral form of lead(II) sulfide (PbS). It is the most important ore of lead and an important source of silver. Galena is one of the most abundant and widely distributed sulfide minerals. It cryst ...
, Joliet, Peoria, and other towns in Illinois. In 1835, he began to work in brick manufacturing and construction. In July 1835, he was elected a village trustee, serving for a year. In 1837, he opened the City Hotel, a
hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a ref ...
that would be later renamed the Sherman House. Also in 1837, after Chicago incorporated as a city, he was elected an alderman from the 2nd Ward on the newly created
Chicago Common Council The Chicago City Council is the legislative branch of the government of the City of Chicago in Illinois. It consists of 50 alderpersons elected from 50 wards to serve four-year terms. The council is gaveled into session regularly, usually mont ...
, and served for one year.


First mayoralty (1841–1842)

Sherman was elected mayor of Chicago in 1841, defeating Whig nominee Isaac R. Gavin. Sherman was sworn in on March 4, 1841. Sherman's first mayoralty ended on March 7, 1842 when he was succeeded by Whig
Benjamin Wright Raymond Benjamin Wright Raymond (June 15, 1801April 6, 1883) was an American politician who twice served as mayor of Chicago, Illinois (1839–1840, 1842–1843) for the Whig Party. Early life Raymond was born in Rome, New York to Benjamin and Hannah ...
.


City Treasurer, State Senate and Cook County Board of Commissioners

Sherman was
City Treasurer of Chicago The City Treasurer of Chicago is an elected official of the City of Chicago. Current Occupant The current City Treasurer of Chicago is Democrat Melissa Conyears. Conyears was elected by Chicago citizens on April 2, 2019, and took the oath of o ...
from 1842 through 1843. Sherman served in the
Illinois House of Representatives The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The House under the current constitution as amended in 1980 consists of 118 re ...
from 1844 through 1850. During this time, was a delegate to the 1847 Illinois constitutional convention. In 1850, Sherman retired from his brickmaking venture, in order to focus himself on public service and developing the properties he owned. He expanded his hotel, adding two floors atop its existing three, and renaming it the "Sherman House". Sherman served Chairman of the
Cook County Board of Commissioners The Cook County Board of Commissioners is a legislative body made up of 17 commissioners who are elected by district, and a president who is elected county-wide, all for four-year terms. Cook County, which includes the City of Chicago, is the Uni ...
from 1851 through 1853. Sherman ran in the contentious
1856 Chicago mayoral election In the 1856 Chicago mayoral election, Thomas Dyer defeated former mayor Francis Cornwall Sherman. The race was shaped by the divisive national political debate surrounding the issue of slavery, particularly debate surrounding the controversial ...
as an anti-Nebraska Democrat. He lost to pro-Nebraska Democrat
Thomas Dyer Thomas Dyer (January 13, 1805June 6, 1862) served as mayor of Chicago, Illinois (1856 Chicago mayoral election, 1856–1857) for the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party. He also served as the founding president of the Chicago Bo ...
.Property Rules: Political Economy in Chicago, 1833-1872 by Robin L. Einhorn The Sherman House Hotel became on the grand hotels of Chicago when it was reconstructed and reopened in 1861.


Second mayoralty (1862–1865)

Sherman was again elected mayor in the 1862 Chicago mayoral election, defeating
Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
nominee Charles N. Holden. Sherman was sworn in as mayor on May 5, 1862. That November, Sherman unsuccessfully ran for the
United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...
, losing the Illinois 1st congressional district race to Republican
Isaac N. Arnold Isaac Newton Arnold (November 30, 1815 – April 24, 1884) was an American attorney, politician, and biographer who made his career in Chicago. He served two terms in the United States House of Representatives (1860–1864) and in 1864 introduce ...
. Sherman appointed a committee that recommended a new city charter, which extended the terms of the mayor, treasurer, collector, city attorney, clerk of police court from one to two years, and also added the communities of
Bridgeport Bridgeport is the most populous city and a major port in the U.S. state of Connecticut. With a population of 148,654 in 2020, it is also the fifth-most populous in New England. Located in eastern Fairfield County at the mouth of the Pequonnoc ...
and Hostein to the city's boundaries. During his second mayoralty, Sherman and alderman John Comiskey had control over leading the Democratic bloc of the City Council, being opposed by the Republican bloc led by Charles C. P. Holden. Despite there being a slight Democratic majority (a 10 Democrat-10 Republican split, with Sherman able to cast tie-breaking votes), the city council was deadlocked in 1862 and early 1863. The deadlock became so severe, that between December 22, 1862 and March 23, 1863, no council meetings were held because Republicans refused to attend meetings, denying
quorum A quorum is the minimum number of members of a deliberative assembly (a body that uses parliamentary procedure, such as a legislature) necessary to conduct the business of that group. According to ''Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised'', the ...
. Republicans did so in hopes to avoid Democrats from taking actions that might undercut the Union effort in the ongoing
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
. The death of a Republican alderman and the absence of alderman Edward Solomon, who was fighting in the war, further decreased the Republican minority. On March 23, 1863, at the first meeting with a quorum in months, which was held to select election judges for the 1863 elections, Edward Solomon attended, surprising many, as he had not announced he would be able to attend. Furthermore, Democratic alderman Peter Shimp joined the Republicans in voting against Democrats, thus giving Republicans an effective majority at the meeting. Sherman
veto A veto is a legal power to unilaterally stop an official action. In the most typical case, a president or monarch vetoes a bill to stop it from becoming law. In many countries, veto powers are established in the country's constitution. Veto ...
ed a number of "patriotic resolutions" that Charles C. P. Holden had passed in the city council. Sherman was reelected mayor in 1863, very narrowly defeating the Republican nominee
Thomas Barbour Bryan Thomas Barbour Bryan (December 22, 1828 – January 26, 1906) was an American businessman, lawyer, and politician. Born in Virginia, a member of the prestigious Barbour family on his mother's side, Bryan largely made a name for himself in Chi ...
. This election was the city's first election to a newly extended term of two years.Rogues, Rebels, And Rubber Stamps: The Politics Of The Chicago City Council, 1863 To The Present by Dick Simpson, Routledge, Mar 8, 2018 (page 29–35)
/ref>Rogues, Rebels, And Rubber Stamps: The Politics Of The Chicago City Council, 1863 To The Present Portada; Dick Simpson Routledge, Mar 8, 2018
/ref> He was elected, in part, thanks to the new
Irish-American , image = Irish ancestry in the USA 2018; Where Irish eyes are Smiling.png , image_caption = Irish Americans, % of population by state , caption = Notable Irish Americans , population = 36,115,472 (10.9%) alone ...
and
German-American German Americans (german: Deutschamerikaner, ) are Americans who have full or partial German ancestry. With an estimated size of approximately 43 million in 2019, German Americans are the largest of the self-reported ancestry groups by the Unite ...
population from Bridgeport and Holstein. Sherman lost reelection in
1865 Events January–March * January 4 – The New York Stock Exchange opens its first permanent headquarters at Broad Street (Manhattan), 10-12 Broad near Wall Street, in New York City. * January 13 – American Civil War : Sec ...
, in a race that was won by Republican
John Blake Rice John Blake Rice (May 28, 1809 – December 17, 1874) was an American actor, theatrical producer and politician. He served as the Mayor of Chicago, Illinois (1865–1869) as a member of the Republican Party. Early life and career Rice was bo ...
after the race heavily turned in the Republican Party's favor with sentiments shifting following the assassination of Republican president
Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...
days earlier.10 things you might not know about Chicago mayoral elections
Mark Jacob and Stephan Benzkofer March 10, 2015
Sherman's second mayoralty ended on May 3, 1865, when he was succeeded in office by Rice.


Subsequent career

Sherman would try again to win a fourth term as mayor in the 1867 Chicago mayoral election, running once again as the Democratic nominee, but once again losing to Republican John Blake Rice, the incumbent mayor.


Death

Sherman died November 7, 1870. He was buried at
Graceland Cemetery Graceland Cemetery is a large historic garden cemetery located in the north side community area of Uptown, in the city of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Established in 1860, its main entrance is at the intersection of Clark Street and Ir ...
.


Personal life

Sherman and this wife Electa had seven children together. Four of these children survived to adulthood. Sherman's son,
Francis Trowbridge Sherman Francis Trowbridge Sherman (1825–1905) was a Union general during the American Civil War. He served in the cavalry and infantry, seeing action in both the Western Theater and Eastern Theater. Biography Early life Sherman was born in Connect ...
, was a brigadier general in the Union Army 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 ...
.'Chicago's Mayors A Collection of Biographies of All Chicago's Mayors,' Elaine C. Shipley, pg. 17-18


References


External links


First Inaugural AddressSecond Inaugural AddressThird Inaugural Address
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sherman, Francis Cornwall 1805 births 1870 deaths People from Newtown, Connecticut Businesspeople from Chicago Burials at Graceland Cemetery (Chicago) Chicago City Council members Members of the Cook County Board of Commissioners Democratic Party members of the Illinois House of Representatives Mayors of Chicago 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American businesspeople