Hiram Sawyer (August 24, 1814 – November 24, 1888) was an American stonecutter, farmer, and Wisconsin pioneer. He was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing Dodge County in the 1866 session.
Hiram Sawyer | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the Dodge 3rd district | |
| In office January 1, 1866 – January 7, 1867 | |
| Preceded by | Oscar F. Jones |
| Succeeded by | Warren Marston |
| Chairman of the Board of Supervisors of Dodge County, Wisconsin | |
| In office January 4, 1864 – January 1, 1866 | |
| Preceded by | Jacob Bodden |
| Succeeded by | Harvey C. Griffin |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 24, 1814 Orford, New Hampshire, U.S. |
| Died | November 24, 1888 (aged 74) Burnett, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Resting place | Burnett Corners Cemetery, Burnett, Wisconsin |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Barbara Ann Wilson
(m. 1837–1888) |
| Children |
|
| Occupation | Stonecutter, farmer |
Biography
editHiram Sawyer was born Orford, New Hampshire, in August 1814. He was raised and received a basic education until age 15, when he went to work as an apprentice stonecutter. He followed that profession for 15 years until switching to agricultural work.[1]
In 1845, he went west to the Wisconsin Territory to prospect for land. He purchased a tract of land in what is now the town of Burnett, Wisconsin, in Dodge County; he brought his wife and children to live on the farm the following year. This farm was his primary residence for the rest of his life.[2]
He was involved with the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, and was elected to the Dodge County Board of Supervisors, serving as chairman for the 1864 and 1865 sessions.[1] In 1865, he was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly from Dodge County's 3rd Assembly district, which then comprised the towns of Emmet, Clyman, Oak Grove, Burnett, and Chester, and the northern half of the city of Waterford.[3]
For several years in the 1870s, he served as a statistical correspondent for the United States Department of Agriculture, reporting on the farms and climate in Dodge County.[1]
Personal life and family
editHiram Sawyer was a son of Benjamin C. Sawyer and his wife Mindwell (née Sargent). Hiram had at least five brothers, three of whom also came to settle on farms in the town of Burnett, Wisconsin.[1]
Hiram Sawyer married Barbara Ann Wilson on February 14, 1837. They had twelve children, though one daughter died in infancy. Their eldest son, Hiram Wilson Sawyer, also became a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly and served for over 20 years as a county judge in Washington County, Wisconsin.[2]
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Biographical Sketches: Burnett Township". History of Dodge County, Wisconsin. Western Historical Company. 1880. pp. 752–753. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
- ^ a b Quickert, Carl (1912). Washington County, Wisconsin: Past and Present. Vol. 2. Chicago: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Co. pp. 108–113. Retrieved March 25, 2022 – via Wisconsin Historical Society.
- ^ Stewart, Frank M.; Young, E. W., eds. (1866). "Legislative Department" (PDF). The Legislative Manual of the State of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. pp. 100, 141. Retrieved March 26, 2022.