Richard U. Sherman

Richard U. Sherman
Portrait of Sherman, c. 1875
Member of the New York State Assembly from the 1st Oneida County district
In office January 1, 1875 – December 31, 1876
Preceded by	George W. Chadwick
Succeeded by	James Corbett
In office January 1, 1857 – December 31, 1857
Preceded by	George F. Fowler
Succeeded by	Henry R. Hart
Clerk of the New York State Assembly
In office January 7, 1851 – January 6, 1857
Preceded by	James R. Rose
Succeeded by	William Richardson
Personal details
Born	Richard Updike Sherman (1819-06-26)June 26, 1819 Vernon, New York, U.S.
Died	February 21, 1895(1895-02-21) (aged 75) New Hartford, New York, U.S.
Resting place	Forest Hill Cemetery
Political party	Whig (until 1856) Republican (1856–1872) Liberal Republican (1872) Democratic (1872–1895)
Spouse	Mary Frances Sherman ​ ​ (m. 1848)​
Children	6, including James
Signature
Military service
Branch/service	New York State Militia
Years of service	1841–1857
Rank	Brigadier general

Richard Updike Sherman (June 26, 1819 – February 21, 1895) was a New York State politician and newspaper publisher and editor. He was also the father of the 27th Vice President of the United States James S. Sherman.

Early life and family

Childhood and education

Sherman was born on June 26, 1819, in Vernon, New York. He attended Utica Academy.

Marriage and children

Sherman married his distant cousin, Mary Frances Sherman, in 1848. They had six children: Richard W., a civil engineer and two-term mayor of Utica, New York; Stalham W. (died 1894), superintendent and treasurer of New Hartford Canning Co.; Mary Louise, married her brother James's law partner, Henry J. Cookinham; James Schoolcraft Sherman (1855–1912), 27th vice president of the United States; Sanford F., owner of S. F. Sherman Men’s Furnishings; Willet H. (died 1868).

Career

Journalism

From 1844 to 1846, Sherman was editor of the Oswego Daily Times & The Herkimer Journal. In 1847, he owned and edited the Rochester Daily Evening Gazette. From 1847 to 1882, he was co-owner and editor of the Utica Morning Herald.

Government and politics

Sherman was appointed as Clerk of the New York State Assembly in 1851, when the Whig Party took control of the chamber. Following the collapse of the Whig Party in 1856, he became a member of the nascent Republican Party and served clerk until his election as assemblyman for Oneida County's 1st district in 1857. He was a delegate to the New York State Constitutional Convention of 1867–1868 and was an assistant clerk of the United States House of Representatives in 1870.

During the 1872 U.S. House of Representatives elections, Sherman was jointly nominated by the Liberal Republican Party and Democratic Party for the state's New York's 22nd congressional district but lost to Ellis H. Roberts. Thereafter, he affiliated himself with the Democrats. He was elected to his old seat in the state assembly for the legislature's 1875 and 1876 sessions.

Later life and death

After leaving the state legislature for the second time, Sherman served on the New York State Fish and Game Commission, as a trustee of the New Hartford Cotton Company, and as president of the New Hartford Canning Company. He died in New Hartford on February 21, 1895.

References

• History of the Mohawk Valley - Gateway to the West - 1614-1925.
• Virkus, Frederick. Abridged Compendium. p. 2934.
• Biographical Directory of the American Congress, 1774–1949, Biographies
• Cheater.com. July 31, 2000 http://www.cheater.com/homework/Homework/S…/24797977.html. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
• Dictionary of American Biographies. Charles Scribner and Sons. 1935.
• Genealogical Library Master Catalog, Albany, New York: New York State Library
• Cookinham, Henry J. (1912). History of Oneida County New York, from 1700 to the Present Time. Vol. 1. Chicago: The S.J. Clarke Publishing Company.
• Cherny, Robert W. (July 31, 2000). "Sherman, James Schoolcraft". Discovery Channel School, original content provided by World Book Online.
• The Mercantile and Manufacturing Progress of the City of Utica, N.Y. and Environs by the Merchants' and Manufacturers' Exchange of Utica, N.Y. Commerce Publishing Company. 1888.