predecessor successor children office order term_start spouse article_title term_end name
thomas aspinwall davis josiah quincy , jr. emily wilder leavitt mayor of boston , massachusetts chairman of the acting november 22 , 1845 abigail ward benson leavitt
 december 11 , 1845 benson leavitt
benson leavitt

benson leavitt -lrb- 21 june 1797 -- 1 june 1869 -rrb- was a boston , massachusetts , businessman , born in new hampshire , who served as an alderman of boston , and later as acting mayor after the incumbent became incapacitated and died while in office .
benson leavitt was born at hampton falls , new hampshire , on june 21 , 1797 , the son of land surveyor thomas and his wife hannah -lrb- melcher -rrb- leavitt .
thomas leavitt helped establish the democratic party in new hampshire , and helped lay out some towns in the northern part of the state .
in 1814 , when thomas leavitt 's son benson was 17 years old , the future mayor served with 40 men from hampton falls who marched to portsmouth , new hampshire , then under threat of attack by british forces during the war of 1812 .
benson leavitt later married abigail ward , born at hampton falls in 1801 , daughter of capt. thomas and abigail -lrb- garland -rrb- ward .
benson leavitt and his wife subsequently removed to boston , where he was a merchant , often trading with other merchants in new hampshire and where he was elected an alderman .
leavitt operated leavitt & company , fish traders , at a warehouse at boston 's philadelphia packet pier .
leavitt also served as a director of the granite bank , a founder of the fishing insurance company and for several years was a representative to the massachusetts general court from suffolk county , where he was a member of the joint committee on fisheries .
leavitt also served on the boston board of school committee for many years .
leavitt later served as chairman of the board of aldermen and -- briefly -- as acting mayor of the city after mayor thomas aspinwall davis became ill and died while in office .
on october 1 , 1845 , mayor thomas aspinwall davis wrote board of aldermen chairman benson leavitt from his home in brookline .
`` believing that time and care would restore my strength '' , davis wrote , `` i persevered in the hope that i might complete the term for which i was elected .
but providence has seen fit to order otherwise , and i find myself now , by great prostration of strength , quite unfit for service of any kind , either public or private .
under these circumstances it is a duty which i owe to the city as well as myself , to resign the office of mayor . ''
but despite davis 's offer to resign , boston city council rejected the resignation , and the mayor was forced to remain in office until his death on november 22 , 1845 .
benson leavitt was subsequently named acting mayor .
benson leavitt was the uncle of author and reformer franklin b. sanborn , who recalled visiting his uncle benson at his home across the street from rev. dr. edward beecher 's home in boston 's north end .
-lrb- rev. beecher and benson leavitt frequently served on boards together , including that of the boston school committee -rrb- .
on the visit , sanborn made the acquaintance of beecher 's sister harriet beecher stowe , who was `` fresh from her success in `` uncle tom 's cabin '' '' .
leavitt served as acting mayor of boston , massachusetts from november 22 , 1845 to december 11 , 1845 .
he was succeeded by mayor josiah quincy , jr. , who occupied the mayor 's office from december 11 , 1845 , until january 1849 .
benson leavitt died at watertown , massachusetts , on june 1 , 1869 .
he was survived by a daughter emily wilder leavitt , a professional genealogist .
