Augustus Garrett

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Augustus Garrett
7th and 9th Mayor of Chicago
In office
March 10, 1845[1] – March 3, 1846[2]
Preceded byAlson Sherman
Succeeded byJohn Putnam Chapin
In office
March 7, 1843[3] – April 2, 1844[4]
Preceded byBenjamin Wright Raymond
Succeeded byAlson Sherman
Chicago Alderman from the 2nd Ward[5]
In office
1840–1841
Serving with James Carney
Preceded byEli S. Prescott/ Clement C. Stose
Succeeded byJason McCord/ Peter Page
Personal details
Born1801 (1801)
New York, United States
DiedNovember 30, 1848(1848-11-30) (aged 46–47)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Resting placeRosehill Cemetery
Political partyDemocratic Party
SpouseEliza Clark
Residence(s)Chicago, Illinois, U.S.

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[edit]

Garrett married Eliza Clark in 1825 in Newburgh, New York. The couple's daughter Imogene was born in 1830. Departing New York, the Garretts lived in Cincinnati for a time, but had to flee the city after getting in debt. Moving to New Orleans, the couple's young daughter died of cholera in 1833 and was buried on the banks of the Mississippi. Garrett gave birth to a second child, a son named Charles, in 1834. The Garrets also had another son, John.[6][7]

Move to Chicago[edit]

Facing difficulties in New Orleans as well, the Garretts separated for a short while - Augustus to Chicago, while Eliza returned to Newburgh. Reuniting in 1835 in Chicago, the couple worked in real estate and prospered.[6] Garrett had a small auction house near the Chicago River and by the following year had formed a partnership with the Brown Brothers, which allowed him to become a leading land speculator and auctioneer. By October 1836, he had sales of more than $1.8 million.[citation needed]

From 1840 through 1841, he served as Chicago alderman from the 2nd Ward.[5]

Mayoralties[edit]

In 1842, Garrett ran unsuccessfully for Mayor of Chicago. He ran again in 1843 and was elected.

In 1844, Garrett initially won re-election, only to have the election invalidated based on charges of "illegal proceedings and fraud."[8] Garrett ran in a second election that year, but lost to Alson Sherman.

Garrett was again elected mayor in 1845.

During his terms in office, Garrett pushed to have the first brick school in Chicago, Dearborn School, turned into either a warehouse or an insane asylum, believing that the building was too large for use as a school.[9]

Death and legacy[edit]

Garrett's grave at Rosehill Cemetery

Augustus Garrett died at the Sherman House Hotel in Chicago on November 30, 1848, and was buried in Rosehill Cemetery.[10] Following his death, Eliza established the Garrett Bible Institute, now Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, in nearby Evanston, Illinois.

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Mayor Augustus Garrett Inaugural Address, 1845". www.chipublib.org. Chicago Public Library. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  2. ^ "Mayor John Putnam Chapin Biography". www.chipublib.org. Chicago Public Library. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  3. ^ "Mayor Augustus Garrett Inaugural Address, 1843". www.chipublib.org. Chicago Public Library. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  4. ^ "Mayor Alson Smith Sherman Biography". www.chipublib.org. Chicago Public Library. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  5. ^ a b "Centennial List of Mayors, City Clerks, City Attorneys, City Treasurers, and Aldermen, elected by the people of the city of Chicago, from the incorporation of the city on March 4, 1837 to March 4, 1937, arranged in alphabetical order, showing the years during which each official held office". Archived from the original on September 4, 2018. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
  6. ^ a b Schultz, Rima Lunin; Hast, Adele (2001). "Garrett, Eliza Clark". Women building Chicago, 1790-1990 : a biographical dictionary. Paul Avrich Collection. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press. pp. 306–307. ISBN 0-253-33852-2. OCLC 44573291.
  7. ^ Cosgrove, Charles H. (2020). Fortune and faith in old Chicago : a dual biography of Mayor Augustus Garrett and seminary founder Eliza Clark Garrett. Carbondale. ISBN 978-0-8093-3795-8. OCLC 1110148614.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  8. ^ Garrett, Augustus (March 7, 1844). "Inaugural Address of Mayor Augustus Garrett". Chicago Public Library. Retrieved June 5, 2012.
  9. ^ Gale, Edwin O. (1902). Reminiscences of Early Chicago and Vicinity. Chicago: Revell. pp. 384.
  10. ^ "Augustus Garrett". Buffalo Weekly Republic. December 19, 1848. p. 7. Retrieved April 4, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.

External links[edit]