{{Infobox officeholder | name = | image = Portrait of Asahel Pierce (Chicago pioneer and politician).jpg | alt = | caption = illustration of Pierce | birth_date = June 1812 | birth_place = Calais, Vermont | death_date = December 13, 1887 | death_place = Chicago, Illinois | resting_place = | occupation = | awards = | spouse = | children = | education = | signature = | party = Republican | office = Chicago Alderman<ref name="Centennial List"/> | constituency = 6th ward | term_start = 1847 | term_end = 1848 | alongside = Henry Smith (1947–49) and G.W. Wentworth (1847–48) | predecessor = William M. Larrabee and Richard C. Ross | successor = Daniel Richards | constituency1 = 4th ward | term_start1 = 1844 | term_end1 = 1846 | alongside1 = Thomas McDonough | predecessor1 = John Murphy Jr. and James Poussard | successor1 = Henry Magee and Joseph Williams | term_start2 = 1837 | term_end2 = 1840 | alongside2 = John S.C. Hogan (1937–38)<br>Francis C. Taylor (1838–39)<br>John Murphy Jr. (1839–40) | predecessor2 = ''inaugural holder'' | successor2 = Seth Johnson and William Otis Snell | constituency2 = 4th ward | office3 = Trustee of the Village of Chicago<ref name="ObitRecord"/> | term_start3 = 1835 | term_end3 = 1836 | predecessor3 = | successor3 = | alma_mater = }}
'''Asahel Pierce''' (June 1812–December 13, 1887) was an American merchant, pioneer and politician who was an early settler of Chicago. Pierce had business success in the manufacture of farm equipment and wholesale of clothing. Pierce served several stints as a member of the Chicago Common Council (city council).
==Early life==
Pierce was born in June 1812 in Calais, Vermont. Until he was 18, he worked on his father's farm there. From 1830 to 1833, he completed an apprenticeship in the blacksmith trade. Recognizing this as a trade that would be valuable to him if he became a westward pioneer, he soon after traveled west.<ref name="ObitRecord"/>
==Arrival in Chicago== Asahel was an early settler of Chicago. He arrived in Chicago (at the time home to only 200 residents) in October 1833. He would continue to reside there until his death in 1887. In his many years living in Chicago, he became a well-known resident of the growing city.<ref name="ObitRecord">{{cite web |title=The Obituary Record; Death of Asabel Pierce, a Pioneer of Chicago |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-asahel-pierce-obit-tri/30979557 |via=Chicago Tribune |url-access=limited |access-date=20 August 2025 |pages=6 |date=14 December 1887}}</ref>
==Business career== Soon after arriving in Chicago, Pierce received a contract to supply iron work to the first stagecoach line established to transport goods between Chicago and St Louis. In early 1834, be began manufacturing bull plows. He had to augment the design in order to make it more adept to dealing with the prairie sod in the region. His improved designed became in high-demand among local buyers, and its popularity was further boosted after it received prizes when entered into a contest at the State Fair held in Plainfield, Illinois. He continued manufacturing agricultural tools until 1856, when he opted to retire from this business in order to pivot his attention to real estate and construction. His work in construction had a significant impact in shaping Chicago in the decades of growth that followed.<ref name="ObitRecord"/>
In 1861, Pierce entered the wholesale clothing sales business, and saw quick success. Quickly, annual sakes of his wholesale house reached $1 million. His wholesale house became the first in Chicago to manufacture its own clothing in the city. This venture grew highly profitable.<ref name="ObitRecord"/>
In 1868, Pierce retired from working in the mercantile business.<ref name="ObitRecord"/>
==Political career== Pierce was long invested in Chicago politics. He first was elected a village trustee in 1835.<ref name="ObitRecord"/> He was later elected to several terms as alderman on the Chicago Common Council (city council).<ref name="Centennial List">{{cite web |title=Centennial List of Mayors, City Clerks, City Attorneys, City Treasurers, and Aldermen, elected by the people of the city of Chicago, from the incorporation of the city on March 4, 1837 to March 4, 1937, arranged in alphabetical order, showing the years during which each official held office. |url=http://chsmedia.org/media/fa/fa/LIB/AldermansList.htm |publisher=Chicago Historical Society |access-date=April 16, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180904052355/http://chsmedia.org/media/fa/fa/LIB/AldermansList.htm |archive-date=September 4, 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="ObitRecord"/>
Pierce was a member of the Republican Party.<ref name="ObitRecord"/>
==Death== For the final two decades of his life, Pierce suffered bronchitis attacks. On December 13, 1887, he died after a nine week bronchitis attack. With Pierce being of advance age and the attack being severe, three weeks into the attack his physician gave a grim prognosis of his likelihood of surviving. Pierce was ambulatory until the final two weeks of his life, being contained to a wheelchair for the final two weeks of his life. His memory remained sharp up until his death.<ref name="ObitRecord"/>
Pierce was survived by two daughters and three sons.<ref name="ObitRecord"/>
==References== {{reflist}}
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Category:Merchants from Illinois Category:Merchants from Vermont Category:Chicago City Council members Category:Illinois Republicans Category:People from Calais, Vermont Category:1812 births Category:1887 deaths Category:Deaths from bronchitis