Alexander Cummings

This article is about the American politician Alexander Cummings. For the British watchmaker and inventor, see Alexander Cumming .

Alexander Cummings

Alexander Cummings (born November 17, 1810 in Williamsport , Pennsylvania , †  July 16, 1879 in Ottawa , Canada ) was an American politician ( Republican Party ) and from 1865 to 1867 governor of the Colorado Territory .

Early years and advancement

Cummings was in the newspaper business when he was younger. He founded the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin and The New York World. At the beginning of the Civil War , Cummings was hired in the US War Department's procurement office . There there were irregularities in his purchases, in which two million dollars were embezzled; a congressional commission of inquiry then found that he was unsuitable for the position and too selfish. After that, Cummings set up a volunteer unit in Pennsylvania. In February 1864 he became the overseer of troops in Arkansas consisting of black soldiers. For this he was later President Andrew Johnson for certification - Brigadier promoted.

Territorial Governor of Colorado

On October 17, 1865, President Johnson named him the new Colorado Territorial Governor . He became the successor to John Evans , who had been recalled because of the Sand Creek massacre . Already in those days there was a movement in the area that wanted Colorado to join the United States as a state . Cummings was an opponent of these endeavors. When the governor was on an inspection tour, the supporters of the accession met in the city of Golden to elect a parliament, a governor and draft a constitution. With the governor firmly against it, tensions arose between his supporters and those who were seeking state status. The request of the applicants to join was finally rejected by President Johnson because the draft constitution was not acceptable to the federal government.

Another point of contention during Cummings' tenure was the seal of the territory. The question was who should be the keeper of the seal. Then there were clashes in the Colorado congressional election of 1866. Two candidates who stood in different camps on the question of joining the United States quarreled. Cummings declared his supporter the winner, while the electoral committee saw his opponent as the winner. The problem was then decided in Washington . George M. Chilcott , who supported the territory's accession to the Union, received the seat in Congress; his opponent Alexander Cameron Hunt was appointed on April 24, 1867 to succeed Cummings as territorial governor.

Another résumé

After his tenure as governor, Cummings became the tax director of the Fourth Tax District of Pennsylvania. He was later appointed American Consul for Hawaii . He died in June 1879 in Ottawa, Canada, where he had been on duty in his capacity as consul.

Web links

• The governors of Colorado (English)

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