Alson Sherman
A mayor who steered a young, booming Chicago through a pivotal year of explosive growth and civic ambition.
1811–1903 (age 92)·American politician·Birthday: April 21
Biography
Alson Sherman stepped into the mayor's office of Chicago in 1844, a time when the city was shedding its frontier-town skin. The population was exploding, and the muddy settlement on the swamp was rapidly transforming into a commercial powerhouse. His single one-year term was less about dramatic political battles and more about managing the frantic, messy business of urban adolescence. Infrastructure was the pressing need: streets needed paving, sanitation was primitive, and the river was a vital yet troublesome artery. Sherman's administration worked to impose order on this chaos, grappling with the foundational challenges of a modern city. He led during a period when Chicago's destiny as the railroad hub of the continent was being cemented, setting the stage for the colossal metropolis it would soon become.
#1 When Alson Was Born
The biggest hits of 1811
Alson's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1811Born
1816Started school
1824Became a teenager
1827Could drive
1829Could vote
1832Turned 21
1841Turned 30
1851Turned 40
1861Turned 50
President: Abraham Lincoln
1871Turned 60
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1881Turned 70
President: Chester A. Arthur
1891Turned 80
President: Benjamin Harrison
1903Died at 92
Wright brothers achieve first powered flight
President: Theodore Roosevelt
Key Achievements
- Served as the sixth Mayor of Chicago, overseeing the city during a critical period of its early, rapid expansion.
- Presided over municipal efforts to improve basic urban infrastructure to cope with a surging population.
- Led the city as key railroad charters were secured, directly enabling Chicago's future as a national transportation center.
- Governed as an Independent Democrat, navigating the factional politics of a young and volatile city.
Did You Know?
Before becoming mayor, he served as a Cook County commissioner and as Chicago's city treasurer.
Sherman was a prominent hardware merchant, part of the business class that drove Chicago's early economy.
The famous Sherman House hotel in Chicago was built by his brother and named for their family.
He lived to be 91 years old, witnessing Chicago's growth from a town of a few thousand to a city of over a million.
“A city is built by practical hands, not political speeches.”
