US Senator, Presidential Cabinet Secretary. He served forty years in public service. His broad career touched many facets of the American political scene from elective office to Congress, the Senate and high Cabinet appointments as Secretary of the Treasury and then Secretary of State. His accomplishments were many but he was always overshadowed by his famous brother William. He was born in Lancaster, Ohio to Judge Charles Robert Sherman and Mary Hoyt Sherman, the eighth child in the family that would eventually number eleven children, six sons and five daughters. When John was six, his father died while on circuit holding court. Mary, left with no income to support this large family relied on friends and family to help raise her children. From the age of eight, he was passed around to various relatives for his upbringing. His schooling was at the Homer Academy in Lancaster. When seventeen, John followed the family tradition and pursued his goal of becoming a lawyer. He lived with his older lawyer brother Charles, who practiced in Mansfield, Ohio and studied law under him. At twenty one, he passed the Ohio Bar Exam and began a practice in Mansfield while marrying the only daughter of a prominent Mansfield Judge, Margaret Sara Stewart. Better opportunity lured him to Cleveland where he became active in politics resulting in election to the United States House of Representatives. John found his way to the U.S. Senate and during the Civil War was a staunch supporter of Lincoln and the Union. He helped organize a brigade of volunteers from Mansfield and contemplated resigning his office to enlist in the Union army, but President Lincoln convinced him that his services as a politician would greater serve the union. He resigned to accept the nomination of President Hayes as Secretary of the Treasury. During his tenure, he instituted many reforms which had an impact on national finance. With President Hayes out of office, Shermans position as secretary was also over. He was soon back in the political arena with election to the Senate and responsible for the passage of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act which attempted to curb the growth of monopolies. This legislation authorized the federal government to break up any business that prohibited competition. The federal government has utilized this new power often in the past to break up monopolies including that of the Standard Oil Company in 1911. Senator Sherman sought the Republican nomination to the presidency in 1880, 1884 and 1888 but failed. This was a great disappointment to him and a sharp contrast between him and his famous brother General Sherman who was sought after by both the Republican and Democrat parties but refused because of his great distaste for politics. He resigned the Senate to take the Cabinet post Secretary of State during the administration of President McKinley but quickly resigned in 1898 because he opposed the administration's decision to go to war with Spain. Sherman retired in poor health to private life and resided in Washington. Infirmities and health problems mounted resulting in his death. His remains were transferred back to Mansfield for burial. Legacy...The Sherman House in Lancaster, Ohio is owned and operated by the Fairfield Heritage Association. It is a Registered National Landmark commemorating the two Sherman brothers, William and John who were born in this house. Henry Clay and Daniel Webster were guests in the dwelling. Judge Charles Sherman's study and the family parlor are maintained in a near perfect condition. On the second floor, is a recreation of General Sherman's field tent with Civil War exhibits and a room full of family memorabilia which features the family album quilt. The senator penned the book "Recollections of Forty Years in the House, Senate and Cabinet: an Autobiography" and it was published in 1895.