death_date death_place predecessor birth_place successor children party office birth_date term spouse image article_title name
13 march 1851 buffalo , new york ebenezer walden derby , connecticut isaac r. harrington ten children whig mayor of buffalo july 2 , 1785 1840 -- 1841 catharine barton sheldon thompson - history of buffalo.jpg sheldon thompson
 sheldon thompson
sheldon thompson

sheldon thompson -lrb- 1785 -- 1851 -rrb- was mayor of buffalo , new york , serving in 1840 -- 1841 .
he was born in derby , connecticut on july 2 , 1785 .
in early 1810 , he moved to lewiston , new york where he entered into the shipbuilding business and mercantile trade along the great lakes with senior partner , jacob townsend and alvin bronson . .
he also entered the salt trade from the onondaga salt mines .
in april 1811 , he married catharine barton .
his daughter sally ann married henry k. smith a future mayor of the city .
around 1816 or 1817 , thompson moved to black rock , and promoted the village which was in direct competition with buffalo for the western terminus of the erie canal .
by 1830 , thompson moved to buffalo and became a principal freight forwarder .
on march 8 , 1840 , sheldon thompson became the first mayor elected by the people .
in 1845 , he retired from active business life and occupied himself with the management of his estate .
he died in buffalo on march 13 , 1851 , and is buried in forest lawn cemetery .
