Philetus Sawyer

1816–1900 (age 84)

businessman and politician

Biography

Philetus Sawyer rose from humble beginnings to become a leading figure in Wisconsin's lumber and shipping industries, and he served in both the United States House of Representatives and the Senate, championing the interests of Great Lakes commerce and the growing communities of the Fox River Valley.

His long tenure in public life was marked by efforts to balance industrial growth with care for working families, and his name endures in Riverside Cemetery as a reflection of his stewardship of Wisconsin's economic development.