Roswell B. Mason (September 19, 1805January 1, 1892) served as mayor of Chicago,

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 Rockf ...

(1869–1871) for the Citizens Party.

Early life

Mason was born on September 19, 1805, in New Hartford, New York to Arnold Mason and Mercy Coman. His mother was a lineal descendant of Roger Williams, the founder of

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area and the seventh-least populous, with slightly fewer than 1.1 million residents as of 2020, but it ...

. His father Arnold, born in Swansea, Massachusetts, was an engineer instrumental in the construction of 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 ...

, the

Morris Canal The Morris Canal (1829–1924) was a common carrier anthracite coal canal across northern New Jersey that connected the two industrial canals at Easton, Pennsylvania across the Delaware River from its western terminus at Phillipsburg, New Jers ...

, and the High Bridge in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. He married Harriet Lavinia Hopkins on September 6, 1831, and they had eight children.

Professional life

Mason began his career as an engineer working with his father at the age of 17 on a canal construction project in

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York C ...

related to the

. He subsequently attended an engineering school in

Utica, New York Utica () is a city in the Mohawk Valley and the county seat of Oneida County, New York, United States. The tenth-most-populous city in New York State, its population was 65,283 in the 2020 U.S. Census. Located on the Mohawk River at the ...

. Mason was the first Chief Engineer of the

Illinois Central Railroad The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, was a railroad in the Central United States, with its primary routes connecting Chicago, Illinois, with New Orleans, Louisiana, and Mobile, Alabama. A line also c ...

. Mason and his family moved in Chicago in 1865, when he was one of several engineers who worked to reverse the flow of the

Chicago River The Chicago River is a system of rivers and canals with a combined length of that runs through the city of Chicago, including its center (the Chicago Loop). Though not especially long, the river is notable because it is one of the reasons for ...

to improve health conditions and the cleanliness of Lake Michigan. Mason held a high position with the

until he decided to run to be Mayor of Chicago.

Mayoralty

Mason was elected Chicago mayor on a reform ticket in 1869. Mason was sworn in as mayor on December 6, 1869. During his administration, the 1871

Great Chicago Fire The Great Chicago Fire was a conflagration that burned in the American city of Chicago during October 8–10, 1871. The fire killed approximately 300 people, destroyed roughly of the city including over 17,000 structures, and left more than 10 ...

occurred. Mason responded by directing General

Philip Sheridan General of the Army Philip Henry Sheridan (March 6, 1831 – August 5, 1888) was a career United States Army officer and a Union general in the American Civil War. His career was noted for his rapid rise to major general and his close as ...

to place the city under

martial law Martial law is the imposition of direct military control of normal civil functions or suspension of civil law by a government, especially in response to an emergency where civil forces are overwhelmed, or in an occupied territory. Use Marti ...

. To date he is the last non Republican or Democratic Mayor of Chicago. Mason's tenure as mayor ended on December 4, 1871, when he was succeeded by

Joseph Medill Joseph Medill (April 6, 1823March 16, 1899) was a Canadian-American newspaper editor, publisher, and Republican Party politician. He was co-owner and managing editor of the ''Chicago Tribune'', and he was Mayor of Chicago from after the Great Chi ...

Later life and death

Mason's wife Harriet died on March 29, 1891. He died at his home in Chicago on January 1, 1892, and was buried at

Rosehill Cemetery Rosehill Cemetery (founded 1859) is an American garden cemetery on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois, and at , is the largest cemetery in the City of Chicago. According to legend, the name "Rosehill" resulted from a City Clerk's error – the a ...

Legacy

He is the namesake of Mason, Illinois. An elementary school in west Chicago is named after him.

References

1805 births 1892 deaths Burials at Rosehill Cemetery Mayors of Chicago 19th-century American politicians People from New Hartford, New York {{Chicago-stub