Alexander Caldwell

Alexander Caldwell

Alexander Caldwell (born March 1, 1830 in Drakes Ferry , Pennsylvania , † May 19, 1917 in Kansas City , Missouri ) was an American politician and businessman .

Life

Early years

Alexander Caldwell was born in Huntingdon County to James Caldwell, a native of Irish, and Jane Matilda Drake . His mother was a descendant of the famous British privateer Francis Drake . Caldwell's father served as infantryman in the Mexican-American War and died at the Battle of Chapultepec in September 1847 when Alexander was only 17 years old.

Caldwell began working as a clerk in a Lancaster County warehouse at a young age , but joined the army himself after the death of his father and fought privately in numerous Mexican theaters of war, including in Puebla , Contreras and Churubusco, and most recently in Mexico City . In 1849 he returned to the United States, where he found work as a clerk at the First National Bank of Columbia . Here he got to know those business management relationships that would be of use to him later in his life.

Caldwell came in the fall of 1861 to Leavenworth ( Kansas ). He founded the transport company A. Caldwell & Company , whose job it was to deliver provisions and supplies for the fighting soldiers of the Civil War west of the Monroe River . It was along this way that he met Brigham Young , the Mormon leader whose denomination Caldwell subsidized with money. At the height of his business, Caldwell employed almost 5,000 men and - in a time before the invention of the railways - had over 60,000 ox wagons.

With the invention of the railroad, Caldwell's career also changed. In 1866 he was commissioned to build what is now the Missouri Pacific Railroad between Kansas City and Leavenworth. In 1869 the railway was extended to Atchison . With other railroad companies, Caldwell founded the Kansas Central Railroad Company , of which he became vice president. Soon he was one of the most economically successful entrepreneurs in Kansas.

Political career

In 1870 Caldwell ran successfully as a Republican party member for a seat in the United States Senate in Washington . He took office on March 4, 1871. But Caldwell had little to gain from the career of a politician. Just two years later, on March 24, 1873, he resigned from his seat. Despite the short tenure, Caldwell managed to pass some important reforms and laws. Leavenworth Federal Prison was established under his leadership . A retirement home for war veterans was also established.

Next life

Caldwell founded the Kansas Manufacturing Company in 1874 and remained president until 1888. The production of railways provided work for hundreds of men; his company was also one of the most important economic factors in the west. When the First National Bank at Leavenworth was founded around 1890 , Caldwell made a contribution to the bank. In January 1897 he was elected President of the bank, a position he held until his death two decades later.

Private life

Alexander Caldwell was married and had three daughters with his wife, Mace A. Heise. His youngest daughter, Pattie, died in 1889, at the age of only 18, under unknown circumstances.

He died in May 1917, at the age of 87.

Web links

• Alexander Caldwell in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)

• Alexander Caldwell in the database of Find a Grave (English)