Benair C. Sawyer
Encyclopedia
Benair Clement Sawyer, sometimes incorrectly referred to as "Benjamin" Sawyer (October 18, 1822 – March 13, 1908), was the Mayor
of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
from 1862 to 1864.
's single worst civilian accident occurred when, on September 17, 1862, the Allegheny Arsenal
exploded and claimed the lives of seventy-eight people. Most of the fatalities were young women.
After his political career, the Panic of 1873
decimated Sawyer's assets, forcing him to move to Colorado
. He would later prosper there from investments in mining
. He died in California
.
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
from 1862 to 1864.
Life
His family was in the soap making business. While he was mayor the American Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
's single worst civilian accident occurred when, on September 17, 1862, the Allegheny Arsenal
Allegheny Arsenal
The Allegheny Arsenal, established in 1814, was an important supply and manufacturing center for the Union Army during the American Civil War, and the site of the single largest civilian disaster during the war....
exploded and claimed the lives of seventy-eight people. Most of the fatalities were young women.
After his political career, the Panic of 1873
Panic of 1873
The Panic of 1873 triggered a severe international economic depression in both Europe and the United States that lasted until 1879, and even longer in some countries. The depression was known as the Great Depression until the 1930s, but is now known as the Long Depression...
decimated Sawyer's assets, forcing him to move to Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
. He would later prosper there from investments in mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
. He died in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.