William Sawyer (1803 – 1877) was a two-term member of the

United States 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 house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

from

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

from 1845 to 1849.

Biography

Sawyer was born in

Montgomery County, Ohio Montgomery County is located in the southwestern portion of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 537,309, making it the fifth-most populous county in Ohio. The county seat is Dayton. The county was named in honor ...

. In 1818 he began to learn the trade of

blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...

ing. He worked at this occupation in both

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Day ...

, and

Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the List of municipalities in Mi ...

. In 1829 he settled in

Miamisburg, Ohio Miamisburg ( ) is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio. The population was 20,181 at the time of the 2010 census. A suburb of Dayton. It is part of the Dayton metropolitan area. Miamisburg is known for its large industry (mainly for its nuclear ...

. From 1832 to 1835 Sawyer served in the

Ohio House of Representatives The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio; the other house of the bicameral legislature being the Ohio Senate. The House of Representatives first met in ...

, filling the position of speaker in 1835. In 1838 and 1840 he ran unsuccessfully for congress. In 1843 Sawyer moved to

St. Marys, Ohio St. Marys is a city in Auglaize County, Ohio, United States. Located in western Ohio, it is west of Wapakoneta and east of the Ohio/Indiana border. The city is located on a portage between the St. Marys and Auglaize river systems, which was a ...

. He was elected to

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...

as a

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 ...

in 1844. He was reelected in 1846 but did not run for re-election in 1848. Sawyer 'liked to stand by the Speaker's chair during debates noisily munching sausages and cornbread and using his pants for a napkin and his jack-knife for a toothpick'. In 1850-1851 Sawyer served as a member of the Ohio State Constitutional Convention. He served another term in the State House in 1856. He also served as mayor of St. Marys and a Federal land agent in

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

Sources

Congressional biography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sawyer, William Ohio State University trustees 1803 births 1877 deaths People from Montgomery County, Ohio People from St. Mary's, Ohio Ohio lawyers Speakers of the Ohio House of Representatives Mayors of places in Ohio Ohio Constitutional Convention (1850) 19th-century American politicians Democratic Party members of the Ohio House of Representatives 19th-century American lawyers Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio