Ebenezer Walden (1777–1857) was

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, 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 responsibilitie ...

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...

, serving in 1838–1839. He was born in 1777 in

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

. In 1799, he graduated from

Williams College Williams College is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim ...

, then made his way to

Oneida County, New York Oneida County ( ) is a county in the state of New York, United States. As of February 26, 2024, the population was 226,654. The county seat is Utica. The name is in honor of the Oneida, one of the Five Nations of the Iroquois League or '' ...

where he studied law. In 1806, he was admitted to the New York State bar and moved to Buffalo. For nearly two years Walden was the only lawyer west of Batavia. He invested heavily in real estate in this area, owning what became known as Walden Farm at what is now Fillmore and Best Street. (Best Street becomes Walden Avenue after crossing Genesee Street.) In 1812, he married Suzanna Marvin. He was a member of the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Ass ...

(Cattaraugus, Chautauqua and Niagara Co.) in

1812 Events January–March * January 1 – The ''Allgemeines bürgerliches Gesetzbuch'' (the Austrian civil code) enters into force in the Austrian Empire. * January 19 – Peninsular War: The French-held fortress of Ciudad Rodrigo Siege ...

. During the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

Walden leased land to the Federal government and the Buffalo Barracks are erected. The front portion of the barracks later became what is the

Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site preserves the Ansley Wilcox House, at 641 Delaware Avenue in Buffalo, New York. Here, after the assassination of William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt took the oath of office as President of the ...

. He was one of the few who stayed behind during the burning of Buffalo and trying to save as many lives as possible. Walden's home was used by General

Winfield Scott Winfield Scott (June 13, 1786May 29, 1866) was an American military commander and political candidate. He served as Commanding General of the United States Army from 1841 to 1861, and was a veteran of the War of 1812, American Indian Wars, Mexica ...

as his headquarters. After the war, he erected the first brick dwelling in Buffalo. He was one of the four original trustees of the village of Buffalo and served as a member of the Buffalo Harbor Company, which improved Buffalo's harbor to attract the village as the western terminus of the

Erie Canal The Erie Canal is a historic canal in upstate New York that runs east–west between the Hudson River and Lake Erie. Completed in 1825, the canal was the first navigability, navigable waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, ...

. Walden became the first judge of Erie County Court in 1823 and held the position for five years. He was a

presidential elector In the United States, the Electoral College is the group of presidential electors that is formed every four years for the sole purpose of voting for the president and vice president in the presidential election. This process is described in ...

1828 Events January–March * January 4 – Jean Baptiste Gay, vicomte de Martignac succeeds the Jean-Baptiste de Villèle, Comte de Villèle, as Prime Minister of France. * January 8 – The Democratic Party of the United States is organiz ...

. In the 1830s, Walden was among the city leaders who supported the creation of a "University of Western New-York," which was chartered by the New York State Legislature in 1836. Walden donated property in support of the project, however the university would not ultimately develop; this effort did, however, lay the foundation for the 1846 establishment of the

University of Buffalo The State University of New York at Buffalo (commonly referred to as UB, University at Buffalo, and sometimes SUNY Buffalo) is a public university, public research university in Buffalo, New York, Buffalo and Amherst, New York, United States. ...

(later University at Buffalo, SUNY). On March 13, 1838, the Common Council met and made Walden its choice for mayor. During his term, the entire school system was reorganized. After his term as mayor, Walden retired to his farm in

Lake View, New York Lake View is a hamlet in Erie County, New York, United States. Lake View is in the town of Hamburg. Geography Lake View is south of Buffalo along Lake Erie. It is bounded by Eighteen Mile Creek on the south, Pleasant Avenue on the north, L ...

. He died there on November 10, 1857, and was buried in the Myer-Walden mausoleum in Forest Lawn Cemetery. There is a street in Buffalo named after him in his honor for his works despite a proposal to rename it to Dru Sjodin street by the

Buffalo Common Council The Buffalo Common Council is the legislative branch of the city of Buffalo, New York government. It is a representative assembly, with one elected member from each of nine districts: Niagara, Delaware, Masten, Ellicott, Lovejoy, Fillmore, North ...

https://www.buffalolib.org/sites/default/files/special-collections/guides/Buffalo%20Street%20Name%20Changes.pdf]

References

1777 births 1857 deaths 19th-century mayors of places in New York (state) Mayors of Buffalo, New York Burials at Forest Lawn Cemetery (Buffalo) 1828 United States presidential electors Members of the New York State Assembly New York (state) Whigs Williams College alumni 19th-century members of the New York State Legislature {{BuffaloNY-stub