Background
Buren Robinson Sherman was born on May 28, 1836, in Phelps, Ontario County, New York, the third son of Phineas L. Sherman, ax maker, and Eveline (Robinson) Sherman.
Buren Robinson Sherman was born on May 28, 1836, in Phelps, Ontario County, New York, the third son of Phineas L. Sherman, ax maker, and Eveline (Robinson) Sherman.
Buren Sherman went to school in Phelps until 1849, when the family moved to Elmira, New York. There he continued his schooling and then, in 1852, was apprenticed to a watchmaker.
Buren Sherman worked on his father’s farm and then in a store from 1857 to 1859 while at the same time studying law. He was admitted to the bar in i860 and began practicing law in Vinton.
When the Civil War broke out, Buren Sherman immediately joined up. In 1862, as a second lieutenant, he was gravely wounded at Shiloh and left on the battlefield to die. While in the hospital, he was promoted to captain and returned to his regiment on crutches. In the summer of 1863, his wounds invalided him out of the army. Back in Vinton, Buren Sherman was given a hero's welcome.
There Buren Sherman moved into public life. He was elected county judge of Benton County in 1863 and reelected in 1865. He gave up his office in 1866 when he was elected clerk of the district court, a position to which he was re-elected three times. Moving up the political ladder, Buren Sherman secured election as State Auditor in 1874. He distinguished himself in that office and was reelected in 1876 and 1878. After an unsuccessful try for the Republican nomination for governor in 1877, he "accepted defeat like a good sport, which won him many friends".
Buren Sherman again sought the Republican nomination for governor in 1881. He finally defeated future governor William Larrabee for the Republican nomination in 1881 and easily won the election. He ran again in 1883. Unusually, that election had debated between the Republican and Democratic candidates, and again Buren Sherman triumphed. His second inauguration was in the rotunda of the new capital on January 17, 1884, at the same time as the dedication of the building.
In 1885, Buren Sherman 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.
Buren Sherman died November 11, 1904, and is buried in the Evergreen Cemetery in Vinton, Iowa.
As governor, Buren Sherman supported four constitutional reforms that were adopted. General elections were moved to "the Tuesday next after the first Monday in November."The legislature could reorganize the judicial districts, reduce the number of grand jurors to between 5 and 15, and provide for the election of prosecuting attorneys in counties rather than districts. His support for a fifth constitutional amendment to grant woman suffrage failed, but he did succeed in giving the impetus to Iowa's first civil rights act.
Quotes from others about the person
A contemporary journalist, looking back from 1917, wrote: "Sherman was a whooper-up. He was the best hand-shaker Iowa has ever known."
Buren Sherman was married to Lena Kendall of Vinton in 1862. They had one daughter and one son.
