(Lived January 2, 1841 – January 23, 1913)

Born in New York, Alonzo Sharp moved to Ohio at the age of six.  In 1861 Sharp joined the Ohio Volunteer Infantry serving with the Union Army as a captain until forced to resign due to ill health in 1864.  Sharp moved to Chattanooga in 1865 and became city treasurer in 1867.  After two years as city treasurer, Sharp was elected Mayor. 

To try to relieve the poor economy of the city, Mayor Sharp and the Board of Aldermen issued municipal script and mandated that all city offices accept the script for payments.  The ordinance, which also allowed city taxes to be paid with the Chattanooga script, began a downward economic spiral that would take the city years to recover from.