Program

NYS Historic

Subject

House, People

Location

1616 Abbott Rd, Buffalo, NY 14218, USA

Lat/Long

42.821101, -78.80231

Grant Recipient

Lackawanna Historical Association

Col. John B. Weber (1842-1926) was a prominent citizen in Western New York state who dedicated his life to a career in public service. Weber was born in Buffalo on September 21, 1842. Shortly after the start of the US Civil War, Weber enlisted as a private in the 44th New York Volunteer Infantry, serving in Virginia. In September 1863, he was made colonel in command of the 89th Regiment of the US Colored Infantry, serving until 1864 when his unit was consolidated.

After this, Weber returned to Buffalo and was elected Erie County Sheriff, serving from 1874 to 1876. In 1885, he was elected to represent New York’s 33rd district in the United States Congress and was reelected to this position serving until 1889.

In 1890, President Benjamin Harrison appointed Weber Commissioner of Immigration for the port of New York, the first to serve in this position, which he held until 1893. Prior to 1890, individual states had regulated immigration into the country. As Commissioner of Immigration, Weber traveled to Europe to gather information on sources of immigration to the United States and he oversaw immigration procedures at the port of New York, including the opening of the first immigration station on Ellis Island on January 1, 1892.

Throughout the remainder of his life, Weber held several prominent public service positions in Western New York, including as Commissioner General for the Pan-American Exposition held in Buffalo in 1901. He engaged in the wholesale grain business and operated a farm in Western New York. In 1868, Weber had purchased his farm in West Seneca on land that had been part of the former Buffalo Creek Reservation. By 1880, he had built his house on Abbott Road, where he lived until his death on December 18, 1926. He was buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery in Buffalo. As of 2023, his Abbott Road home is still standing, now in the city of Lackawanna, serving as the rectory of Our Lady of Bistrica Croatian Catholic Church.