George Chahoon
Encyclopedia
George Chahoon was mayor of Richmond, Virginia
, from 1868 until 1870.
Chahoon was born in Sherburne, New York
, but his family moved to Virginia not long after he was born. He grew up in Botetourt County and at the time the Civil War began was working in Washington, D.C.
, as a clerk in the Treasury Department.
During Reconstruction, John M. Schofield, Virginia's military commander, appointed Chahoon mayor of Richmond. After he took office on 6 May 1868, Chahoon began purging city government of former Confederates
. In another controversial move, he fired a number of white police officers and created a special black police force.
After Reconstruction ended in Virginia, the new members of the Richmond city council chose Henry Keeling Ellyson as interim mayor on 16 March 1870. Chahoon and some of his Republican allies refused to leave office. For a short time Ellyson's supporters besieged Chahoon and his allies, who had barricaded themselves in the police station. Chahoon left it to the courts to decide which was the legitimate administration. When the Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals met in the Virginia State Capitol
on 27 April 1870 to render its opinion, the overcrowded gallery collapsed. Approximately sixty people died, and Chahoon was among those badly injured. The appeals court ultimately ruled against him.
After his controversial term as mayor, Chahoon returned to New York, where he served in the state senate from 1895 until 1900. He died in Au Sable Forks, New York
, on 29 July 1934.
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
, from 1868 until 1870.
Chahoon was born in Sherburne, New York
Sherburne, New York
Sherburne, New York is the name of two locations in Chenango County, New York:*Sherburne , New York*Sherburne , New York...
, but his family moved to Virginia not long after he was born. He grew up in Botetourt County and at the time the Civil War began was working in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, as a clerk in the Treasury Department.
During Reconstruction, John M. Schofield, Virginia's military commander, appointed Chahoon mayor of Richmond. After he took office on 6 May 1868, Chahoon began purging city government of former Confederates
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
. In another controversial move, he fired a number of white police officers and created a special black police force.
After Reconstruction ended in Virginia, the new members of the Richmond city council chose Henry Keeling Ellyson as interim mayor on 16 March 1870. Chahoon and some of his Republican allies refused to leave office. For a short time Ellyson's supporters besieged Chahoon and his allies, who had barricaded themselves in the police station. Chahoon left it to the courts to decide which was the legitimate administration. When the Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals met in the Virginia State Capitol
Virginia State Capitol
The Virginia State Capitol is the seat of state government in the Commonwealth of Virginia, located in Richmond, the third capital of Virginia. It houses the oldest legislative body in the United States, the Virginia General Assembly...
on 27 April 1870 to render its opinion, the overcrowded gallery collapsed. Approximately sixty people died, and Chahoon was among those badly injured. The appeals court ultimately ruled against him.
After his controversial term as mayor, Chahoon returned to New York, where he served in the state senate from 1895 until 1900. He died in Au Sable Forks, New York
Au Sable Forks, New York
Au Sable Forks is a census-designated place in Clinton County, New York, United States. The population was 559 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Au Sable Forks is located at ....
, on 29 July 1934.