Sawyer was born near Nevada, Ohio in Wyandot County. He married May E. (Elizabeth) Barron, (1859–1945). He died in Marion County, Ohio. Dr. Sawyer was an 1881 graduate of the Cleveland Homeopathic Hospital College, Cleveland, Ohio, earning his degree in homeopathy, and began his practice outside of LaRue, Ohio in western Marion County, Ohio. Following a brief stint in Indianapolis, Indiana, the Sawyers returned to Marion where Dr. Sawyer began the construction of a modern sanatorium for the treatment of medical and emotional maladies. This building was built in three stages and is currently located on South Main Street in Marion, Ohio; the building is currently known as the Elite (E-light) Apartments. Sawyer also operated the Parkview Sanatorium in Columbus, Ohio.