Alexander Harper

Alexander Harper (born February 5, 1786 in Belfast , Kingdom of Ireland , †  December 1, 1860 in Zanesville , Ohio ) was an American politician . Between 1837 and 1853 he represented the state of Ohio three times in the US House of Representatives .

Career

In his youth, Alexander Harper came from his Northern Irish homeland to Zanesville, Ohio, where he attended preparatory schools. After studying law and being admitted to the bar in 1813, he began to work there in this profession. In 1820 and 1821 he was a member of the Ohio House of Representatives ; from 1822 to 1836 he was presiding judge at the court of appeal. Politically, he joined the Whig Party , founded in the 1830s .

In the 1836 congressional election , Harper was elected to the US House of Representatives in Washington, DC , in the twelfth constituency of Ohio , where he succeeded Elias Howell on March 4, 1837 . Until March 3, 1837 he was able to complete a legislative period in Congress . In the elections of 1842 he was re-elected to Congress in the 14th District, where he replaced George Sweeny on March 4, 1843 . After being re-elected, he was able to spend two more terms in the House of Representatives until March 3, 1847. During this time, the Mexican-American War began . From 1843 to 1845, Harper was chairman of the Post Office's Expenditure Control Committee and the Patent Committee.

In 1850 he was re-elected to Congress in the 14th district of his state, where he was able to complete a last legislative period between March 4, 1851 and March 3, 1853 as the successor to Nathan Evans . This time was shaped by the events leading up to the civil war . After serving in the US House of Representatives, Harper practiced again as a lawyer in Zanesville, where he died on December 1, 1860.

Web links

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

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