Walter S. Gurnee Explained

Walter Smith Gurnee
Birth Date:9 March 1813
Birth Place:Haverstraw, New York, U.S.
Death Place:New York City, New York, U.S.
Residence:Chicago, Illinois
Office1:Mayor of Chicago
Order1:14th
Term Start1:March 11, 1851[1]
Term End1:March 7, 1853[2]
Predecessor1:James Curtiss
Successor1:Charles McNeill Gray
Office2:City Treasurer of Chicago[3]
Term Start3:1840
Term End3:1840
Term Start2:1843
Term End2:1845
Predecessor3:N.H. Bolles
Successor3:N.H. Bolles
Predecessor2:Francis Cornwall Sherman
Successor2:William L. Church
Party:Democratic
Resting Place:Sleepy Hollow, New York, U.S.
Children:Augustus C. Gurnee
Signature:Signature of Walter Smith Gurnee (1813–1903).png
Relatives:Descendants of Robert Coe

Walter Smith Gurnee (March 9, 1813 – April 17, 1903) served as Mayor of Chicago (1851 - 53) for the Democratic Party. The Village of Gurnee, Illinois is named for him.

Biography

Gurnee was born in Haverstraw, New York and arrived in Chicago in 1836 after spending time in Michigan.[4] Once in Chicago, he established a tannery, which, by 1844, employed between thirty and fifty men.[5] He was a founding member of the Chicago Board of Trade. Prior to becoming the mayor of Chicago, Gurnee was the primary partner of Gurnee & Matteson, a saddlery and leather firm. Gurnee did well enough in this business, and in his tannery, that he amassed a large fortune before moving to New York City.[6]

Gurnee campaigned for the mayoralty on the issue of public ownership of the city's water supply. Once in office, he fought against the merger of the Illinois Central and Michigan Central railroads, originally planned to meet up south of the city.[7] He was elected to two terms, winning the mayoralty in 1851 and being reelected in 1852.

Gurnee unsuccessfully attempted to stage a return to the mayor's office in the 1860 mayoral election. He lost to "Long John" Wentworth, who had previously served a term as mayor as a Democrat, but had switched to the Republican Party.[8]

The village of Gurnee, Illinois was named for him.[9]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Mayor Walter S. Gurnee Inaugural Address, 1851 . www.chipublib.org . Chicago Public Library . 26 May 2020.
  2. Web site: Mayor Charles McNeill Gray Inaugural Address, 1853 . www.chipublib.org . Chicago Public Library . 26 May 2020.
  3. Web site: 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. . 27 April 2019.
  4. Book: Pierce, Bessie Louise. A History of Chicago: The Beginning of a City, 1673-1848. University of Chicago Press. 2007. Chicago. 177.
  5. Book: Pierce, Bessie Louise. A History of Chicago: The Beginning of a City, 1673-1848. University of Chicago Press. 2007. Chicago. 141.
  6. Book: Gale, Edwin O.. Reminiscences of Early Chicago and Vicinity. Revell. 1902. Chicago. 385.
  7. Book: Fehrenbacher, Don E.. Chicago Giant: A Biography of "Long John" Wentworth. The American History Research Center. 1957. Madison, WI. 110.
  8. News: Walter S. Gurnee Dead . 2021-11-15 . . April 18, 1903.
  9. Web site: Gurnee, IL . 2024-07-15 . www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org.