Frederick W. Pelton (March 24, 1827 – March 15, 1902) was

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 ...

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. ...

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 1871 to 1872. He was 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 ...

, and served in the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

Life and career

Pelton was born in

Chester, Connecticut Chester is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 3,749 at the 2020 census. The town center is defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as a census-designated place (CDP). The name is a transfer from Chester, in Engl ...

. His father moved the family to

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, Cuyahoga County, Ohio in 1825, where Frederick grew up. He married Susan Dennison, who grew up on the adjoining farm, on August 23, 1848. At age 16, Pelton completed his education, and entered the office of ''Wheeler, Chamberlain & Company'' in

Akron Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 Census, the city ...

, where he remained for five years, before moving to

. In 1858 he entered the ship chandler business. During the

, he was a captain of the 8th Ohio Independent Battery. From 1863, until his election as Cleveland mayor in 1871, Pelton was secretary of an insurance company, he was a member of city council, serving as president, and was treasurer of Cuyahoga County for two terms after being mayor. Pelton was a founder of the ''Citizens' Saving & Loan Association'', and a director until his death. He was president from 1893 until his death. He was also a director of several other S&Ls. He was a founder and director of the ''Riverside Cemetery Association''. Pelton was a thirty-third degree Mason, Odd Fellow, Knights of Pythias, the

Methodist Episcopal The Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) was the oldest and largest Methodist denomination in the United States from its founding in 1784 until 1939. It was also the first religious denomination in the US to organize itself on a national basis. In ...

Church, and member of the

Grand Army of the Republic The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army (United States Army), Union Navy (U.S. Navy), and the Marines who served in the American Civil War. It was founded in 1866 in Decatur, Il ...

. Pelton and his wife had seven children, two of whom survived him. he died at his Prospect Street home.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pelton, Frederick W. Mayors of Cleveland 1902 deaths 1827 births Ohio Republicans People from Chester, Connecticut People of Ohio in the American Civil War People from Brooklyn, Ohio