General William Sutton

Parents:

• ‍Father: the Honorable William Sutton
• Mother: Elisabeth Treadwell Sutton

Burial Location: Linden Ave, Lot 1083, Grave 14

General William Sutton was born in Salem on July 26, 1800. During most of his life he worked in the tanning business as well as in shipping. He was always active, especially in helping others. For forty-five years he served as President of the First National Bank, only declining the office when he turned eighty. He was a director of two insurance companies, and also was Treasurer of the Essex Agricultural Society for twenty five years. For thirty years he was head of the Salem Fire Department.

He bought and sold many properties in Essex County, North Shore of Massachusetts. Land purchase and sale was one of his major interests.

For five terms, he was a Representative to the General Court of Massachusetts, then a state Senator for two years, and was also a member of the Governor’s Council. He was very interested in military affairs and this resulted in appointment as a Major General during the Civil War. He was too old for active service; so he was assigned to the Medical Department and received honorable mention at the end of the war for his service.

Active in freemasonry for most of his adult life, he became a member of Jordan Lodge in Peabody at age twenty-two. In later years he became a member of Essex Lodge in Salem, and held membership in several other Masonic organizations. In 1866 he was Senior Grand Warden of the Grand Lodge of Masons in Massachusetts. He received the thirty-third degree in 1862.

In his will, he left his Masonic library to the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts. The Lodge of Perfection at Salem and Sutton Royal Arch Chapter in Lynn were both named for him as was the general William Sutton Lode in Saugus. General William Sutton died in Peabody Massachusetts on April 18, 1882. He was buried in Harmony Grove Cemetery.

Photo: Campbell Sutton

Sources Consulted:

• Internet Archive: Peabody Institute Library/local history resource center/William Sutton Deed Collection.
• MAGTLW Sutton Masonic Genealogy
• Massachusetts State Senator William Sutton (1800-1882) State Library of Massachusetts