Name John Chapin | Residence Chicago, Illinois Political party Whig | |
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Born April 21, 1810Bradford, Vermont ( 1810-04-21 ) Died July 27, 1864, Illinois, United States | ||
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John Putnam Chapin (April 21, 1810 – July 27, 1864; buried in Graceland Cemetery) served as Mayor of Chicago, Illinois (1846–1847) for the Whig Party.
Chapin left his hometown to enter the mercantile business in Haverhill, New Hampshire before moving to Chicago in 1832. In Chicago he became a member of the wholesale and retail merchants firm Wadsworth, Dyer & Chapin until it was dissolved in 1843. Following the dissolution of the firm, Chapin joined the Canal Boat Transportation Company. He was a founding member of the Chicago Board of Trade.
In 1846, Chapin ran for mayor of Chicago as a Whig against Democratic nominee Charles Follansbee and Liberty Party nominee Philo Carpenter, winning the office with just over 55% of the vote.
Following his term as Mayor, Chapin was elected to the city council in 1859. In 1861, he was nominated by the Union ticket for the office of Commissioner of Public Works. As Chapin was a Republican, he declined the nomination as he felt it was a mischievous move on the part of the Democrats.