John Card Graves was a Buffalo Park Commissioner from 1883 to 1898. He resigned the position on 17 May 1897. Exactly one year later, on 17 May 1898, he was appointed as the second Superintendent of Parks, succeeding William McMillan. He served as Superintendent for four years, submitting his resignation from the post on 1 June 1902.
John Card Graves was born 18 Nov 1839 at Herkimer, New York. His father, Ezra Graves, was a locally prominent Republican attorney, and a judge. Gen. Graves was to follow in his father’s footsteps both as to his profession and his political leanings.
He was educated locally, and, after first attending Tufts College and then Union College, he completed his studies at Hamilton College, achieving a master of arts degree.
Admitted to the bar in December 1862, he first studied under, and then practiced law in partnership with his father. In 1867, he relocated to Buffalo. He continued to pursue his career there as an attorney in private practice. In 1869, he was engaged by the Buffalo Fire & Marine Insurance Co. to represent the firm in its fire insurance matters. The Great Chicago Fire, however, bankrupted that firm, and Gen. Graves handled much of work of its dissolution. In 1874, he left the private practice of law to assume a position as Clerk of the Federal District Court, a position he held for twelve years.
Gen. Graves military service was wholly with the New York State National Guard. As an undergraduate at Hamilton College, he helped form a company of fellow students in 1861 and was he was chosen as Captain; however, the state’s quota for 90 day enlistments was full and the unit’s service rejected. Soon afterwards, the company disbanded. Captain Graves then joined the 81st Infantry Regiment, N.S.Y.N.G.. He was elected Major in that regiment. After his move to Buffalo, he joined the 65th N.Y. Infantry Regiment, and served with that organization for about 20 years. He was elected first as Lieutenant Colonel in June, 1878, and then as the regiment’s Colonel in October of 1879. In March, 1881, Col. Graves was elected Brigadier General, commanding the 8th Brigade, N.Y.S.N.G., at Buffalo. The brigade consisted of Buffalo’s two National Guard regiments – the 65th N.Y. Infantry (at Masten avenue), and the 74th N.Y. Infantry (at Connecticut street) – plus independent companies in Rochester, Medina and Jamestown. In 1884, Gen. Graves resigned from that position and from further military service.
Gen. Graves organized the Frontier Elevator Co. of Buffalo in 1886, and was its President until 1894. In 1889, he became the President of the Buffalo Merchants Exchange.
Subsequent to his service as Buffalo Park Superintendent, hr was appointed Secretary of the New York State Water Supply Commission, serving for two years.
He was married to Augusta C. Moore, then of Buffalo, in 1864; the couple had seven children, 5 daughters and 2 sons.
Gen. Graves also had a very active interest in genealogy. He authored a multi volume study, Genealogy of the Graves family in America, published in 1896. He was also an active Mason.
Gen. Graves’s wife died in 1925. Soon after, the general sold his Chapin Parkway home to reside with a daughter on Delaware avenue.
He died at his Buffalo home on 8 July 1931, at the age of 91. Four daughters and one son survived him.
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