Benjamin Seaver (April 12, 1795 – February 14, 1856) was an American politician, serving as the thirteenth
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...
of
Boston, Massachusetts from January 5, 1852 to January 2, 1854.
[CCC Boston, 1822-1908, pp. 241-244.]
Early life
Seaver was born in Roxbury, Massachusetts
In 1812 Seaver became an apprentice at the auction and commission store of Whitwell & Bond.
In 1816 Seaver became a partner in the firm which was renamed Whitwell, Bond & Co.
In 1818, Seaver purchased 5
shares
In financial markets, a share is a unit of equity ownership in the capital stock of a corporation, and can refer to units of mutual funds, limited partnerships, and real estate investment trusts. Share capital refers to all of the shares of an ...
of the
Suffolk Bank Suffolk Bank was a private clearinghouse bank in Boston, Massachusetts, that exchanged specie or locally backed bank notes for notes from country banks to which city-dwellers could not easily travel to redeem notes. The bank was issued its corpor ...
, a
clearinghouse bank on
State Street in
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
.
Seaver married Sarah Johnson.
Political career
City of Boston Common Council
Seaver was first elected to represent Boston's Ward 5 as a member of the Common Council in 1845. He was reelected to the Common Council from Ward 5 in 1846 and 1847. In 1848 Seaver moved to Ward 4 and was subsequently elected as a councilor from the new ward in 1848 and 1849.
In July 1847 Seaver was elected as President of the Common Council and he held that position for the two and a half years that he remained on the City of Boston Common Council.
Massachusetts legislature
From 1846 to 1848 Seaver served as a member of the
Massachusetts House of Representatives
The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into single-member ...
and in 1850 and 1851 he was elected to the
Massachusetts Senate
The Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court, the bicameral state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Senate comprises 40 elected members from 40 single-member senatorial districts in the ...
.
See also
*
Timeline of Boston
This article is a timeline of the history of the city of Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
17th century
* 1625 – William Blaxton arrives.
* 1630 - When Boston was founded
** English Puritans arrive.
** First Church in Boston established.
** Septe ...
, 1840s-1850s
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Seaver, Benjamin
Mayors of Boston
Members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
Massachusetts Whigs
19th-century American politicians
Massachusetts city council members
Massachusetts state senators
1856 deaths
1795 births