Oliver Forward | |
|---|---|
| Member of theNew York State Senate for the Western District | |
| In office July 1, 1820 – December 31, 1822 | |
| Member of theNew York State Assembly | |
| In office July 1, 1819 – June 30, 1820 Serving with Elial T. Foote | |
| Preceded by | Philo Orton Isaac Phelps |
| Succeeded by | William Hotchkiss Jediah Prendergast |
| Collector of the Port of Buffalo | |
| In office 1812–1822 | |
| Appointed by | James Madison |
| Preceded by | Erastus Granger |
| Succeeded by | Myndert M. Dox |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Oliver Owen Forward (1781-12-01)December 1, 1781 |
| Died | April 27, 1834(1834-04-27) (aged 53) |
| Political party | Democratic-Republican |
| Spouse | Sally Granger |
| Relations | Walter Forward (brother) Chauncey Forward (brother) |
Oliver Owen ForwardJP (December 1, 1781 – April 27, 1834) was an early settler and government official inBuffalo, New York.
Forward was born inSimsbury, Connecticut in 1781. He was a son of Judge Samuel Forward (1752–1821) and Susannah (née Holcomb) Forward (1753–1832). Among his siblings were younger brothersU.S. RepresentativesWalter Forward andChauncey Forward. DuringJohn Tyler's administration, Walter served as the 15thSecretary of the Treasury and during the administrations ofZachary Taylor andMillard Fillmore, he served as theMinister to Denmark. Other siblings included Julia Forward, Rensselaer Forward and Dryden Forward, who both became lawyers but died young.[1]
His grandfather was Abel Forward ofEast Granby, a son of Samuel Forward, who emigrated from England in the 1600s and settled inWindsor, Connecticut.[1]
In February 1803, Oliver travelled west toAurora, Ohio with his father and family arriving later in the year after his father sold his Connecticut possessions.[1] His father later became a Judge in Aurora.[2]
After roughly six years in Ohio, he moved toBuffalo, New York through the influence of his brother-in-law,Erastus Granger, who was theCollector of the Port of Buffalo and agent for the Indian tribes inWestern New York.[1] Upon his arrival, Forward became Deputy Collector and Assistant Postmaster and was appointedJustice of the Peace.[3] In 1812, Forward was appointed by PresidentJames Madison to succeed Granger as Collector of the Port of Buffalo,[4] and the following year, the village of Buffalo was incorporated by the legislature. In 1817, Forward, as Collector of the Port, was authorized by theTreasury Department to purchase a site for alight house. Forward negotiated withJoseph Ellicott, agent of theHolland Land Company, to purchase the property near the outlet of the Buffalo Creek for $350.[1] In 1822, PresidentJames Monroe appointedMyndert M.Dox to replace Forward.[5]
For many years, Forward served as director of the Bank of Niagara, including a few years as Cashier of the bank, "the expectation being that his name and influence might in some way retrieve the fortunes of that institution."[1]
In 1817, he was appointed of the Judges ofNiagara County of which he also served as treasurer for many years (beforeErie County was organized). In 1819, he was elected as a ClintonianDemocratic-Republican (which was split into two factions: Clintonians, supporters of Gov.DeWitt Clinton and theBucktails led byMartin Van Buren) to theNew York State Assembly as a delegate from the district containingChautauqua,Cattaraugus and Niagara Counties (in which Erie was then created). In the Assembly, he was a leading voice towards the creation of theErie Canal. In the spring of 1820, he was elected to theState Senate to represent one of nine seats in the Western District (which consisted ofAllegany,Broome,Cattaraugus,Cayuga,Chautauqua,Cortland,Genesee,Madison,Niagara,Oneida,Onondaga,Ontario,Oswego,Seneca,Steuben,Tioga andTompkins counties). At the close of the session of 1822, on his return to Buffalo, Forward was again elected chairman of the board of trustees of the village of Buffalo and was again reelected in 1823 and 1824. The city of Buffalo was officially organized in spring 1832, and a committee on the charter was created, on which Forward served "as a representative from the first ward" and was elected chairman.[1]
When theMarquis de Lafayette visited theU.S. in 1825, he arrived in Buffalo aboard the steamboatSuperior on June 4, 1825 and Forward addressed and welcomed him on behalf of Buffalo's citizens.[1]
In the Spring of 1803, he married Sally Granger ofSuffield, Connecticut, a daughter of Abner Granger and Experiance (née King) Granger. Before 1811, he built a small one-story house on Pearl Street in Buffalo with an addition on the side to carry on the business of the post office and collectorship. He lived there until December 1813 when the British burned the city during theWar of 1812. The villagers returned in Spring 1814 and Forward constructed a two-story brick house, again on Pearl Street, that was "considered the most elegant residence" in Buffalo. Together, they were the parents of several children, including:[1]
His wife died in December 1831. In the summer of 1832, he suffered from an attack ofcholera, never fully regaining his strength. Forward died in Buffalo on April 27, 1834. He was buried in his brother-in-law's family burial lot, which eventually becameForest Lawn Cemetery, Buffalo after Granger's widow sold it toCharles E. Clarke in 1849.[6]
| Government offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Collector of the Port of Buffalo 1812–1822 | Succeeded by |