Alexander De Witt
Encyclopedia
Alexander DeWitt was a 19th-century American politician
from the state of Massachusetts
.
Born in New Braintree, Massachusetts
,DeWitt worked in textile manufacturing in Oxford, Massachusetts
. He was elected to the Massachusetts state lower house in 1830, serving until 1836. He then served in the State senate in 1842, 1844, 1850, and 1851.
In federal politics, DeWitt was elected as a Free-Soil
candidate to the United States Congress in 1853
. In January 1854, he was one of six signatories of the "Appeal of the Independent Democrats", drafted to oppose the Kansas-Nebraska Act. He was reelected as a candidate of the American Party
to Congress in 1855
.
He was defeated in his 1856 bid for reelection and returned to his previous work as a textile manufacturer.
DeWitt died in Oxford
on January 13, 1879. He is buried in South Cemetery, one of three in the town.
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from the state of Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
.
Born in New Braintree, Massachusetts
New Braintree, Massachusetts
New Braintree is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 999 at the 2010 census.- History :New Braintree was first settled in 1709 and was officially incorporated in 1751....
,DeWitt worked in textile manufacturing in Oxford, Massachusetts
Oxford, Massachusetts
Oxford is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 13,709 at the 2010 census.For geographic and demographic information on the census-designated place Oxford, please see the article Oxford , Massachusetts.-History:...
. He was elected to the Massachusetts state lower house in 1830, serving until 1836. He then served in the State senate in 1842, 1844, 1850, and 1851.
In federal politics, DeWitt was elected as a Free-Soil
Free Soil Party
The Free Soil Party was a short-lived political party in the United States active in the 1848 and 1852 presidential elections, and in some state elections. It was a third party and a single-issue party that largely appealed to and drew its greatest strength from New York State. The party leadership...
candidate to the United States Congress in 1853
33rd United States Congress
The Thirty-third United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1853 to March 3, 1855, during the first two years...
. In January 1854, he was one of six signatories of the "Appeal of the Independent Democrats", drafted to oppose the Kansas-Nebraska Act. He was reelected as a candidate of the American Party
Know Nothing
The Know Nothing was a movement by the nativist American political faction of the 1840s and 1850s. It was empowered by popular fears that the country was being overwhelmed by German and Irish Catholic immigrants, who were often regarded as hostile to Anglo-Saxon Protestant values and controlled by...
to Congress in 1855
34th United States Congress
The Thirty-fourth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1855 to March 4, 1857, during the last two years...
.
He was defeated in his 1856 bid for reelection and returned to his previous work as a textile manufacturer.
DeWitt died in Oxford
Oxford, Massachusetts
Oxford is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 13,709 at the 2010 census.For geographic and demographic information on the census-designated place Oxford, please see the article Oxford , Massachusetts.-History:...
on January 13, 1879. He is buried in South Cemetery, one of three in the town.