John Gilbert Sawyer (June 5, 1825 – September 5, 1898) was a

U.S. Representative 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 chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

Background

Born in

Brandon, Vermont Brandon is a town in Rutland County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,129. History On October 20, 1761, the town of Neshobe was chartered to Capt. Josiah Powers. In October 1784, the name of the town was chang ...

on June 5, 1825, Sawyer was the eldest of seven children born to John F. and Mary J. Sawyer. His father relocated the family to Knowlesville, New York in 1831 where Sawyer attended the common schools at

Shelby, New York Shelby is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Orleans County, New York, Orleans County, New York (state), New York, United States. The population was 5,319 at the 2010 census. The Town of Shelby is located in the southwest corner ...

and at Millville Academy (New York). In order to pursue a collegiate education, he relocated to

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

and later to

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...

, where he taught in local one-room schoolhouses to earn enough money for his studies. In 1846, Sawyer returned to Knowlesville and relocated to Albion, New York the following year. There he studied law with Curtis & Stone before finishing with Benjamin L. Bessac. Before completing his law studies, Sawyer was elected to the position of superintendent of public schools for

Orleans County, New York Orleans County is a county in the western part of the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,343. The county seat is Albion. The county received its name at the insistence of Nehemiah Ingersoll though historians ...

in 1848.

Political career

In 1851 Sawyer was elected as a justice of the peace and served in that position for nearly 5 years. In 1855, he formed a partnership with

Sanford E. Church Sanford Elias Church (April 18, 1815 – May 14, 1880) was an American lawyer and Democratic politician. He served as Lieutenant Governor of the state of New York and chief judge of the New York Court of Appeals. Early life Born in Milford, Ot ...

. In 1862 he was elected as Orleans County District Attorney and in 1863 as county judge. As a strong supporter of education, Sawyer was appointed in 1876 to the original Board of Education for the Albion Union Free School. Sawyer was elected to the

U.S. 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 chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

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 ...

in 1884, serving three consecutive terms to the Forty-ninth, Fiftieth, and Fifty-first Congresses (March 4, 1885 – March 3, 1891). A staunch Republican, he originally aligned with the Whigs and assisted in organizing the Republican party in Orleans County.

Death and legacy

Upon his return to Albion in 1891, he resumed the practice of his profession and died there September 5, 1898. He was interred in

Mount Albion Cemetery Mount Albion Cemetery is located on New York State Route 31 in the Town of Albion, New York, United States, east of the village of Albion, which owns and operates it. It is a rural cemetery established in the 1840s on a glacial drumlin. From ...

. The

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

Sawyer *A sawyer (occupation) is someone who saws wood. *Sawyer, a fallen tree stuck on the bottom of a river, where it constitutes a danger to boating. Places in the United States Communities *Sawyer, Kansas *Sawyer, Kentucky * Sawyer, Michigan * Saw ...

in Orleans County was named in honor of John G. Sawyer.

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sawyer, John G. 1825 births 1898 deaths People from Brandon, Vermont People from Orleans County, New York Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) People from Albion, Orleans County, New York 19th-century American legislators