Buren R. Sherman

Buren R. Sherman
12th Governor of Iowa
In office January 12, 1882 – January 14, 1886
Lieutenant	Orlando H. Manning
Preceded by	John H. Gear
Succeeded by	William Larrabee
8th State Auditor of Iowa
In office 1874–1881
Governor	Samuel J. Kirkwood Joshua G. Newbold John H. Gear
Preceded by	John Russell
Succeeded by	William V. Lucas
Benton County Judge
In office 1865–1866
Personal details
Born	Buren Robinson Sherman (1836-05-28)May 28, 1836 Phelps, New York, U.S.
Died	November 11, 1904(1904-11-11) (aged 68) Vinton, Iowa
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Lena Kendall
Children	2
Alma mater	University of Iowa
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	Union Army
Years of service	1861-1863
Rank	Captain
Unit	13th Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment
Battles/wars	American Civil War Battle of Shiloh

Buren Robinson Sherman (May 28, 1836 – November 11, 1904) was the 12th Governor of Iowa, serving from 1882 to 1886.

Early life

Sherman was born in Phelps, New York, on May 28, 1836 to Phineas L. and Eveline (Robinson) Sherman. He studied law after his family moved to Iowa in 1855 and was admitted to the bar in 1859. Sherman then practiced law in Vinton, Iowa in 1860 to 1861. In 1860, he joined William Smyth, a former District Judge, and JC Traer in the creation of Smyth, Traer, and Sherman Law firm.

Military Service

He signed up in 1861 with the 13th Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment Company G for the Union Army, retiring as a captain in mid-1863 after being injured at the Battle of Shiloh.

Political career

Judicial career

Sherman in the 1900 Iowa Official Register

Sherman was elected county judge of Benton County upon his return, serving from 1865 to 1866. He resigned this position to accept a position in the office of the clerk of the district court.

State Auditor

In 1874 he ran for State Auditor of Iowa, that he was elected by a majority of 28,425 over J. M. King, an "anti-monopoly" candidate. In 1876, he was reelected, receiving 50,272 more votes than W. Growneweg, of the Democratic Party, and Leonard Browne, of the Greenback Party. In 1878, he was reelected, receiving majority of 7,164 over the combine votes of Colonel Eiboeck, of the Democratic Party, and G. V. Swearenger, of the Greenback Party.

Governorship

Sherman was elected Governor of Iowa in 1882, Sherman received 133,330 votes, against 83,244 for Kinne and 28,112 for D. M. Clark. He was the first occupant of the governor's office in the Iowa State Capitol. However, it was his successor, William Larrabee, who first occupied the office for a full term. In 1883, he ran for a second term, resulting in vote totals of: Sherman, 164,182; Kinne, 139,093; Weaver, 23,089.

During his terms, several new state agencies were authorized, including the state veterinary surgeon office, state bureau of labor statistics and a state oil inspector office. The Iowa legislature also passed, and Sherman signed, an alcohol prohibition act as well as several tax reform bills.

Personal life

In 1885, he was awarded an LL.D. from the University of Iowa. He was also a freemason who was especially active in Scottish Rite Masonry and helped found the Des Moines Scottish Rite Consistory.

He married Lena Kendall on August 20, 1862 and they had two children.

Sherman died November 11, 1904, and is buried in the Evergreen Cemetery in Vinton, Iowa.

External links

• Media related to Buren R. Sherman at Wikimedia Commons
• "Buren R. Sherman". Find a Grave. Retrieved 2009-03-26.