Stephen Buhrer (December 25, 1825 – December 8, 1907) was an American politician who served as the

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 a ...

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

from 1867 to 1870.

Early life

Buhrer was born near

Zoar, Ohio Zoar is a village in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States. The population was 169 at the 2010 census. The community was founded in 1817 by Radical Pietists as a utopian Christian community, which survived until 1898. Much of the village's e ...

, in

Tuscarawas County Tuscarawas County ( ) is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 93,263. Its county seat is New Philadelphia. Its name is a Delaware Indian word variously translated as "ol ...

to Johann Casper and Anna Maria Miller Buhrer. His father died in 1829 and Buhrer was entrusted to the Society of Separatists until he was old enough. Buhrer was educated mainly in

Sunday school A Sunday school is an educational institution, usually (but not always) Christian in character. Other religions including Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism have also organised Sunday schools in their temples and mosques, particularly in the West. Su ...

until he was twelve and he started learning a

trade Trade involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money. Economists refer to a system or network that allows trade as a market. An early form of trade, barter, saw the direct excha ...

Career

Buhrer left the farm and traveled to

to work as a

cooper Cooper, Cooper's, Coopers and similar may refer to: * Cooper (profession), a maker of wooden casks and other staved vessels Arts and entertainment * Cooper (producers), alias of Dutch producers Klubbheads * Cooper (video game character), in ...

. Buhrer then became a traveling salesman before returning to

to open his own

coopering A cooper is a person trained to make wooden casks, barrels, vats, buckets, tubs, troughs and other similar containers from timber staves that were usually heated or steamed to make them pliable. Journeymen coopers also traditionally made ...

shop. He sold his shop and then began distilling alcohol for a living until he eventually became a wholesale distributor of alcoholic beverages. Buhrer was a three-term member of the

Cleveland City Council Cleveland City Council is the legislative branch of government for the City of Cleveland, Ohio. Its chambers are located at Cleveland City Hall at 601 Lakeside Avenue, across the street from Public Auditorium in Downtown Cleveland. Cleveland Ci ...

until he was elected as

in 1867. The Cleveland House of Correction & Workhouse was built during his tenure as

Personal life

After serving two terms, he returned to serve another term on the

city council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...

before he died in Cleveland in 1907. In 1848, Buhrer married Eva Maria Schneider and had three children: John, Mary Jane, and Lois Catherine. Eva died in 1889 and after her death, Buhrer married Marguerite Paterson.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Buhrer, Stephen Mayors of Cleveland Ohio Democrats 1825 births 1907 deaths