John Boyd Thacher

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Boyd_Thacher

John Boyd Thacher (September 11, 1847 – February 25, 1909) was a businessman and politician from Albany, New York. The son of a former mayor of Albany, Thacher served in the New York State Senate from 1884 to 1885 and was mayor of Albany from 1886 to 1888 and again from 1896 to 1897. A native of Ballston, New York, Thacher was raised in Albany and educated primarily by private tutors. He then attended Williams College, from which he graduated cum laude in 1869 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. Williams later awarded Thacher his Master of Arts as in course. After graduation, Thacher joined his father's business manufacturing railroad car wheels. A Democrat in politics, Thacher served in the state senate from 1884 to 1885. He was Albany's mayor from 1886 to 1888 and 1896 to 1897. A supporter of hard money during the 1890s debate over U.S. monetary policy, in 1896, he won the Democratic nomination for governor of New York. William Jennings Bryan, a supporter of free silver, won the party's presidential nomination, and most statewide Democratic nominees that year were supporters of free silver, so Thacher declined to run. Thacher was a historian and authored several books and articles on topics related to U.S. history. As a collector of historical memorabilia, he acquired numerous autographs of prominent figures, including every signer of the United States Declaration of Independence. A philanthropist, among his gifts was a large tract of land in rural Albany County, which was later added to the state's parklands as John Boyd Thacher State Park. In 1872, Thacher married Emma Treadwell, the great-granddaughter of Connecticut governor John Treadwell. Among his family members were nephews John Boyd Thacher II, who served as mayor of Albany, and Ebby Thacher, who played an important role in Bill Wilson's creation of Alcoholics Anonymous. Thacher died in Albany, and was buried at Albany Rural Cemetery.