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John W. Willey
1st Mayor of Cleveland
In office 1836–1837
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Joshua Mills
Personal details
Born	John Wheelock Willey 1797 (1797) New Hampshire, U.S.
Died	July 9, 1841(1841-07-09) (aged 43–44) Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Resting place	Lake View Cemetery, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Profession	Lawyer
Signature

John Wheelock Willey (1797 – July 9, 1841) was an American politician of the Democratic Party who served as the first Mayor of Cleveland, Ohio from 1836 to 1837.

Biography

Born in New Hampshire, Willey was educated in Dartmouth, Massachusetts and studied law in New York. In 1822, he settled in Cleveland and began practicing law. He soon gained recognition as a witty debater, which earned him three years in the Ohio House of Representatives (1827–1830) and three more in the Ohio Senate (1830–1832) as a Jacksonian Democrat. Willey quickly became attached to Cleveland and was subsequently elected mayor for two terms after the city was chartered in 1836. Willey was "responsible for writing the municipal charter as well as many of the original laws and ordinances." In October 1836, Willey and a group of armed Cleveland militiamen confronted an angry mob from Ohio City (then an independent municipality) in the dispute over the Columbus Street Bridge that became known as the "Bridge War."

References

1. "Willey, John Wheelock". The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History. Case Western Reserve University. May 12, 2018. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
2. "Columbus Street Bridge". The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History. Case Western Reserve University. November 18, 2019. Retrieved July 22, 2021.

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