Hiram Wilson Sawyer (June 11, 1843September 14, 1922) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

lawyer, Democratic politician, and

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

pioneer. He was the first mayor of

Hartford, Wisconsin Hartford is a city in Washington and Dodge counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 14,223. All of this population resided in the Washington County portion of the city. The portion of the city ...

, and was a member of the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Representatives are elected for two-year terms, ...

, representing southern Washington County in the

1873 Events January–March * January 1 ** Japan adopts the Gregorian calendar. ** The California Penal Code goes into effect. * January 17 – American Indian Wars: Modoc War: First Battle of the Stronghold – Modoc Indians defeat ...

and

1874 Events January–March * January 1 – New York City annexes The Bronx. * January 2 – Ignacio María González becomes head of state of the Dominican Republic for the first time. * January 3 – Third Carlist War &ndas ...

sessions. He was also the Democratic nominee for

Governor of Wisconsin The governor of Wisconsin is the head of government of Wisconsin and the commander-in-chief of the state's army and air forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Wiscons ...

in 1898, but lost the election.

Biography

Hiram Wilson Sawyer was born June 11, 1843, at

North Haverhill, New Hampshire North Haverhill is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Haverhill in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. It is one of several villages in the town of Haverhill, which is the county seat of Grafton ...

. He came with his parents to the

Wisconsin Territory The Territory of Wisconsin was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 3, 1836, until May 29, 1848, when an eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Wisconsin. Belmont was ...

in 1846, settling on a farm in the town of Burnett in Dodge County. He attended the common schools in Dodge County and graduated from the Wayland Academy in

Beaver Dam, Wisconsin Beaver Dam is a city in Dodge County, Wisconsin, United States, along Beaver Dam Lake and the Beaver Dam River. The population was 16,708 at the 2020 census, making it the largest city primarily located in Dodge County. It is the principal city ...

. He then

read law Reading law was the method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship under the ...

in the offices of Lewis & Fribert in

Juneau, Wisconsin Juneau is a city in Dodge County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,658 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Dodge County. History Juneau was founded in 1845 by settlers Martin Rich and William Dennis. It became the count ...

, and was admitted to the bar in January 1867. The following November, he moved to

, in Washington County, where he established his own law practice. He went on to practice law at Hartford for most of the next 55 years. He was active in the

Democratic Party of Wisconsin The Democratic Party of Wisconsin is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is currently headed by chair Ben Wikler. Important issues for the state party include support for workers and unions, strong public educa ...

, following after his father, and in 1872 he was elected to the

, representing Washington County's 1st Assembly district—then comprising the southern half of the county. He was re-elected in 1873 and served in the 26th and 27th legislatures. He did not face an opponent in either election in the heavily Democratic district. During these sessions, one of the rare times that Democrats controlled the Wisconsin State Assembly, Sawyer was part of the committee which helped draft their signature railroad regulation bills. He did not run for a third term in 1874 and focused on his legal career for several years. He returned to office in 1882, after winning the Spring 1881 election for

county judge The term county judge is applied as a descriptor, sometimes as a title, for a person who presides over a county court. In most cases, such as in Northern Ireland and the Victorian County Courts, a county judge is a judicial officer with civil ...

, defeating incumbent John Shelley, who had held the office for over 20 years. Sawyer then went on to serve in the office for another 21 years. Shortly after he started as judge, the village of Hartford was incorporated as a city, and at the first election for the new city, in 1883, Sawyer was chosen as mayor. He last stood for election to a partisan office in 1898, when we was the Democratic party's nominee for

governor of Wisconsin The governor of Wisconsin is the head of government of Wisconsin and the commander-in-chief of the state's army and air forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Wiscons ...

. He was

defeated Defeated may refer to: *Defeated (Breaking Benjamin song), "Defeated" (Breaking Benjamin song) *Defeated (Anastacia song), "Defeated" (Anastacia song) *"Defeated", a song by Snoop Dogg from the album ''Bible of Love'' *Defeated, Tennessee, an unin ...

by incumbent Republican

Edward Scofield Edward Scofield (March 28, 1842February 3, 1925) was an American lumberman and Republican politician. He was the 19th governor of Wisconsin (1897–1901) and served in the Wisconsin State Senate, representing Door, Marinette, and Oconto c ...

, taking 41% of the vote. In his later years, he partnered with his sons, Elmo Wilson Sawyer and Hiram Arthur Sawyer, in a law firm known as Sawyer & Sawyer. He also served 35 years as a member of the Hartford school board. He died at his home in Hartford in September 1922, after a long illness.

Personal life and family

Hiram Wilson Sawyer was the third of twelve children born to Hiram Sawyer and his wife Mary Ann (' Wilson). The elder Sawyer also served in the Wisconsin State Assembly and was a prominent Democrat in Wisconsin during his time. Hiram Wilson Sawyer married Josephine Coxe on September 28, 1870. Josephine was a daughter of Hopewell Coxe, the first county judge of Washington County and an early member of the State Assembly. Hiram and Josephine had five children together, though one died in infancy. Their son, Hiram Arthur Sawyer, went on to become

district attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a l ...

of Washington County and

United States attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal c ...

for the Eastern District of Wisconsin during the presidency of

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...

. Sawyer was also active in

Freemasonry Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

References

External links

* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Sawyer, Hiram Wilson 1843 births 1922 deaths People from Haverhill, New Hampshire People from Beaver Dam, Wisconsin People from Hartford, Wisconsin Wayland Academy, Wisconsin alumni Wisconsin lawyers Mayors of places in Wisconsin Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly Wisconsin state court judges County officials in Wisconsin 19th-century American politicians