Jonathan Child (January 30, 1785 – October 27, 1860) 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 ...

businessman and

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

. He was the first Mayor of Rochester, New York and son-in-law of Colonel

Nathaniel Rochester Nathaniel Rochester (February 21, 1752 – May 17, 1831) was an American Revolutionary War soldier, and land speculator, most noted for founding the settlement which would become Rochester, New York. Early life Nathaniel Rochester was born ...

Early life

Child was born in

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

, and in 1805, at the age of 20, he moved to

Utica, New York Utica () is a Administrative divisions of New York, city in the Mohawk Valley and the county seat of Oneida County, New York, United States. The List of cities in New York, tenth-most-populous city in New York State, its population was 65,283 ...

. In 1810, he moved to

Charlotte, New York Charlotte is a town in Chautauqua County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 1,521. Charlotte is centrally located in the county, north of Jamestown and south of Dunkirk. History The area was first settl ...

, and then during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

, he moved to

Bloomfield, New York Bloomfield is a village in Ontario County, New York, United States. The population was 1,361 at the 2010 census. The Village of Bloomfield is in the Town of East Bloomfield and is west of Canandaigua. History The village was part of the Ph ...

, and opened up a store in part of a local tavern. While in Bloomfield, he met Sophia, the oldest daughter of Colonel Rochester.

Career

In 1816, Child was a representative to the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Assem ...

in Albany. In 1820, he moved to Rochester and opened a store at the ''Four Corners'' there. When the

Erie Canal The Erie Canal is a historic canal in upstate New York that runs east-west between the Hudson River and Lake Erie. Completed in 1825, the canal was the first navigable waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, vastly reducing t ...

was completed, he operated a fleet of canal boats on those waters. He later helped organize and build the Tonawanda Railroad, the first in Rochester. In 1824, he became a trustee of the First Bank of Rochester, and in 1827, became a village trustee. In June 1834, the Whig majority of the first Rochester city council, selected Child to be the first mayor – Rochester mayors were not elected by popular vote until 1840. He resigned the next spring after newly elected

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

s in the city council authorized granting liquor licenses in Rochester. After his resignation, Child built a mansion of Washington Street in Rochester, and using some of his canal boats, became an early importer of coal.

Death and legacy

After his wife Sophia died in 1850, Child moved to

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 South ...

, where he died ten years later on October 27, 1860. His Rochester home was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1971 as part of the Jonathan Child House & Brewster-Burke House Historic District.

References

External links

*
Blake McKelvey ''Rochester Mayors Before the Civil War'', 1964

{{DEFAULTSORT:Child, Jonathan 1785 births 1860 deaths Burials at Mount Hope Cemetery (Rochester) People from Charlotte, New York Members of the New York State Assembly Mayors of Rochester, New York New York (state) Whigs 19th-century American politicians Politicians from Utica, New York Businesspeople from Utica, New York People from Lyme, New Hampshire 19th-century American businesspeople