Alson Sherman (April 21, 1811 – September 27, 1903) served as

Mayor of Chicago The mayor of Chicago is the chief executive of city government in Chicago, Illinois, the third-largest city in the United States. The mayor is responsible for the administration and management of various city departments, submits proposals and ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rock ...

(1844–1845) as an

Independent Democrat In U.S. politics, an independent Democrat is an individual who loosely identifies with the ideals of the Democratic Party but chooses not to be a formal member of the party (chooses to be an independent) or is denied the Democratic nomination ...

. Sherman was born to Nathanial Sherman and Deborah (Webster) on April 21, 1811, in Barre, Vermont. Sherman established the first sawmill in Chicago and served as the city's first iceman. In the three years before he was elected mayor, Sherman served as chief of Chicago's fire department. In 1844, Sherman ran for mayor of Chicago after an initial election was invalidated based on charges of "illegal proceedings and fraud." He ran as an Independent Democratic nominee against incumbent Democrat

Augustus Garrett Augustus Garrett (1801 – November 30, 1848) was an American politician who twice served as Mayor of Chicago (1843–1844, 1845–1846). He was a member of the Democratic Party. Early life and career Garrett married Eliza Clark in 1825 i ...

and Liberty Party nominee Henry Smith, winning the office with just over 50% of the vote. As mayor, he oversaw the city's purchase of its first piece of fire-fighting equipment and appointed Denis Swenie as fire chief. In 1849 he won a special election to replace E.H. Chapin, who had resigned from the

Chicago City Council The Chicago City Council is the legislative branch of the government of the City of Chicago in Illinois. It consists of 50 alderpersons elected from 50 wards to serve four-year terms. The council is gaveled into session regularly, usually mon ...

, as an alderman for the city's third ward. He won a full term in 1850. In 1850, he became one of the original trustees of

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

. He moved to

Waukegan, Illinois ''(Fortress or Trading Post)'' , image_flag = , image_seal = , blank_emblem_size = 150 , blank_emblem_type = Logo , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_type1 = State , subdivisi ...

, in 1856. In the 1870s, when a canal being dug in

Lemont, Illinois Lemont is a village located in Cook, DuPage, and Will counties in the U.S. state of Illinois, and is a south-west suburb of Chicago. The population was 17,629 as of the 2020 census. The village is situated on a hillside along the south banks of ...

, revealed Athens marble, Sherman was instrumental in developing the marble quarry there. He died in 1903 and was buried in Oakwood Cemetery,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sherman, Alson 1811 births 1903 deaths Mayors of Chicago People from Barre, Vermont Burials in Illinois Northwestern University trustees