Background
Payne was born in Cleveland, the oldest son of Henry B. Payne.
Payne was born in Cleveland, the oldest son of Henry B. Payne.
He attended local schools, and Pierce Academy in Middleborough, Massachusetts.
He was a Democrat. Illinois health caused him to return home before entering Brown University. In 1855, he took charge of McIntosh nurseries, and in 1857 he went to work for a coal dealer, in a company that eventually came to be known as Payne, Newton and Company. In 1875, he was elected Mayor of Cleveland as a Democrat in the strongly Republican city, after serving two terms on the board of education and six years on city council.