Alson Sherman
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Alson Smith Sherman (April 21, 1811 – September 22, 1903) served as Mayor of Chicago, Illinois (1844–1845) as an Independent Democrat.
Biography
Sherman was born to Nathanial Sherman and Deborah (Webster) on April 21, 1811, in Barre, Vermont.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Sherman established the first sawmill in Chicago and served as the city's first iceman.<ref name="death">Template:Cite news</ref>
In the three years before he was elected mayor, Sherman served as chief of Chicago's fire department.<ref name="death" />
In 1844, Sherman ran for mayor of Chicago after an initial election was invalidated based on charges of "illegal proceedings and fraud."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He ran as an Independent Democratic nominee against incumbent Democrat Augustus Garrett and Liberty Party nominee Henry Smith, winning the office with just over 50% of the vote.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
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, as an alderman for the city's third ward. He won a full term in 1850.<ref name=centennial/><ref name="proceedings"/>
In 1850, he became one of the original trustees of Northwestern University.<ref name="trails">Template:Cite web</ref>
He moved to Waukegan, Illinois, in 1856.<ref name="death" /> In the 1870s, when a canal being dug in Lemont, Illinois, revealed Athens marble, Sherman was instrumental in developing the marble quarry there.<ref name="trails" /> He died in Waukegan on September 22, 1903, and was buried in Oakwood Cemetery.<ref name="death"/><ref name=graveyards.com>Template:Cite web</ref>