John Caven (April 12, 1824 – March 9, 1905) was an

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

politician and

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who served as the 9th and 12th

mayor of Indianapolis 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 as ...

. He was also a member of the

Indiana Senate The Indiana Senate is the upper house of the Indiana General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Indiana. The Senate is composed of 50 members representing an equal number of constituent districts. Senators serve four-year terms ...

Early life

Caven was born in

Allegheny County, Pennsylvania Allegheny County () is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in Southwestern Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,250,578, making it the state's second-most populous county, following Philadelphia Co ...

to Scotch-Irish and

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parents.

Career

Caven moved to Indianapolis in 1845, began law studies two years later, and opened a practice. In May 1863, Caven, running as a

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 ...

, was elected mayor without opposition. He won a second term in 1865. Caven then served two terms in the

(1869–1873), representing Marion CountyCAVEN, John
in ''Men of progress, Indiana : a selected list of biographical sketches and portraits of the leaders in business, professional and official life, together with brief notes of the history and character of Indiana''; by Cumback, Will; Maynard, J. B; McGrath, Hugh J; Stoddard, William; published 1899 by Indianapolis Sentinel Company; via

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before returning to serve another three consecutive terms (1875–1881) as mayor of Indianapolis. He won a third term as a state senator in 1887.

References

1824 births 1905 deaths Mayors of Indianapolis Republican Party Indiana state senators American people of English descent American people of Scotch-Irish descent 19th-century American politicians {{Indiana-mayor-stub