Austin O. Sexton (August 15, 1852 – January 9, 1908) was an American politician from

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. He born and raised in the city, Sexton studied law and opened a practice in 1876. The same year, he was elected as a

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to the

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, serving until 1884. He then moved to Lake View, Illinois, and was a prominent citizen there in its last years as an independent city to its first years as a part of Chicago. Upon its annexation, Sexton was elected to serve the area in the

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, where he was president pro tempore and helped to oversee preparations for the

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. He unsuccessfully ran for a seat on the

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in 1893, then mainly returned to his law practice. Later in his life he was the treasurer of a distillery in

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Biography

Sexton was born in

, on August 15, 1852. He attended the Kinzie School, graduating in 1868. Sexton then studied for four years at the Central High School. He decided to pursue a career in law and entered the office of James Ennis in 1874, studying for two years. He was admitted to the bar in 1876 and opened a law practice in Chicago. In 1876, Sexton was elected as a

to the

. He was re-elected in the next three elections, serving a total of eight years in the 6th district. The Democrats nominated him for

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in 1883, but Republican Lorin C. Collins was elected instead. After his service in the

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, he moved to Lake View, Illinois. He was elected President of the Lake View Board of Education in 1888, though he only served one year before the suburb was annexed by Chicago. He successfully ran for a seat on the

from the 25th Ward, serving from 1890 to 1895. During this term, he was president pro tempore of the council. This coincided with preparations for the

; since

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Hempstead Washburne Hempstead Washburne (November 11, 1851April 13, 1918) was a Republican attorney and politician from Illinois who served as Mayor of Chicago from 1891 to 1893. He was the son of United States Secretary of State Elihu B. Washburne. Early lif ...

did not attend council meetings, Sexton the most influential council member for fair preparations. During his term, Sexton was also the chairman of the Committee on Judiciary. In the city council, Sexton became an advocate for sanitation. He unsuccessfully lobbied for the construction of a conduit on Fullerton Avenue, but successfully expanded the Lake View Water Works project, sponsoring legislation that extended its water tunnel . Sexton also sponsored a water main project through Lake View. The Democrats nominated Sexton for a position on the

in 1893, but he was defeated by Jesse J. Phillips. Mayor Carter Harrison, Jr. appointed Sexton to the Chicago Board of Education in 1899, where he served until 1901. He became treasurer of the Hammond Distilling Company in

, in 1900. Sexton married Mary I. Lyons in 1874; they had a son (William H.) and three daughters. He largely eschewed social clubs, though he was a member of the

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. He typically spent his free time at home. Sexton died suddenly at his daughter's house in Hammond on January 9, 1908, and was buried at Calvary Cemetery in Evanston.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sexton, Austin O. 1852 births 1908 deaths Democratic Party members of the Illinois House of Representatives Politicians from Chicago Burials at Calvary Cemetery (Evanston, Illinois) 19th-century members of the Illinois General Assembly