Hiram Barton (1810–1880) 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 ...
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 Sou ...
, serving 1849–1850 and 1852–1853. He was born in
Hebron, New York
Hebron is a town in Washington County, New York, United States. It is part of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town population was 1,773 at the 2000 census. The town is named after the same-named community in Connecticut.
Geogra ...
on May 20, 1810. He attended
Middlebury College in Vermont, where he studied law. He moved to Buffalo in 1835 and formed a law partnership. In 1840, he married Lucy Ann Clark of Buffalo.
In 1843 Barton was elected
alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members t ...
of the Third Ward, and again in 1844. He was elected as the
Whig choice for Mayor on March 7, 1849. During his first term,
cholera returned to the city and nearly ten percent of the population was stricken and three per cent died within a period of four and a half months. The city charter was changed to make the term of elected aldermen to two years instead of one. He did not seek a second term in 1850. He was elected on March 2, 1852, to his second term; the last time the Whigs triumphed in Buffalo His second term ended on March 8, 1853.
He resumed his law practice until about 1875, when he retired. Barton died on February 10, 1880, and was buried in
Forest Lawn Cemetery.
Hiram's wife, Lucy, died at her home in Franklin Street, Buffalo on 10 June 1881.
References
1810 births
1880 deaths
New York (state) Whigs
19th-century American politicians
New York (state) city council members
Mayors of Buffalo, New York
Burials at Forest Lawn Cemetery (Buffalo)
People from Hebron, New York
Middlebury College alumni
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