De Alva S. Alexander
Encyclopedia
De Alva Stanwood Alexander (July 17, 1846, Richmond, Maine
– January 30, 1925, Buffalo, New York
) was an American journalist, lawyer, historian, and member of the United States House of Representatives
.
De Alva Alexander grew up in Maine and Ohio. He enlisted in the Ohio Volunteer Infantry at age 16 and fought in the American Civil War
. After the war, he attended Bowdoin College
and graduated in 1870.
Alexander briefly worked as a teacher and newspaper editor in Fort Wayne, Indiana
. He then moved to Indianapolis
, where he was a correspondent for the Cincinnati Gazette. He studied law and was admitted to the Indiana Bar in 1877, and went into private practice, moving to Buffalo, New York
in 1885.
In Indianapolis, Alexander met and formed a friendship with U.S. Senator Benjamin Harrison
. After Harrison was elected President of the United States
in 1888, he appointed Alexander as United States Attorney
for the Northern District of New York. In 1896, Alexander was elected as a Republican to the United States Congress
, where he served seven terms until he was defeated for reelection in 1910.
While still serving in Congress, Alexander began work on Political History of the State of New York, a four-volume work finally completed in 1923. It focused on prominent political leaders such as Grover Cleveland
, Thomas C. Platt
, and Theodore Roosevelt
. Alexander also wrote History and Procedure of the House of Representatives (1916). He died in Buffalo in 1925.
Richmond, Maine
Richmond is a town in Sagadahoc County, Maine, United States. The population was 3,298 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford, Maine metropolitan statistical area....
– January 30, 1925, Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
) was an American journalist, lawyer, historian, and member of the United States House of Representatives
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...
.
De Alva Alexander grew up in Maine and Ohio. He enlisted in the Ohio Volunteer Infantry at age 16 and fought in the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. After the war, he attended Bowdoin College
Bowdoin College
Bowdoin College , founded in 1794, is an elite private liberal arts college located in the coastal Maine town of Brunswick, Maine. As of 2011, U.S. News and World Report ranks Bowdoin 6th among liberal arts colleges in the United States. At times, it was ranked as high as 4th in the country. It is...
and graduated in 1870.
Alexander briefly worked as a teacher and newspaper editor in Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne is a city in the US state of Indiana and the county seat of Allen County. The population was 253,691 at the 2010 Census making it the 74th largest city in the United States and the second largest in Indiana...
. He then moved to Indianapolis
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, where he was a correspondent for the Cincinnati Gazette. He studied law and was admitted to the Indiana Bar in 1877, and went into private practice, moving to Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
in 1885.
In Indianapolis, Alexander met and formed a friendship with U.S. Senator Benjamin Harrison
Benjamin Harrison
Benjamin Harrison was the 23rd President of the United States . Harrison, a grandson of President William Henry Harrison, was born in North Bend, Ohio, and moved to Indianapolis, Indiana at age 21, eventually becoming a prominent politician there...
. After Harrison was elected President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
in 1888, he appointed Alexander as United States Attorney
United States Attorney
United States Attorneys represent the United States federal government in United States district court and United States court of appeals. There are 93 U.S. Attorneys stationed throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands...
for the Northern District of New York. In 1896, Alexander was elected as a Republican to the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
, where he served seven terms until he was defeated for reelection in 1910.
While still serving in Congress, Alexander began work on Political History of the State of New York, a four-volume work finally completed in 1923. It focused on prominent political leaders such as Grover Cleveland
Grover Cleveland
Stephen Grover Cleveland was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States. Cleveland is the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms and therefore is the only individual to be counted twice in the numbering of the presidents...
, Thomas C. Platt
Thomas C. Platt
Thomas Collier Platt was a two-term member of the U.S. House of Representatives and a three-term U.S. Senator from New York in the years 1881 and 1897-1909 — is best known as the "political boss" of the Republican Party in New York State in the late 19th Century and early 20th Century...
, and Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
. Alexander also wrote History and Procedure of the House of Representatives (1916). He died in Buffalo in 1925.