Russell Alexander Alger

Russell Alexander Alger (born February 27, 1836 in Lafayette Township , Medina County , Ohio , † January 24, 1907 in Washington, DC ) was an American politician . He was Governor and Senator of the State of Michigan , but also Secretary of War under William McKinley . He was reportedly a distant relative of Horatio Alger , although Russell Alger lived his own success story ( from dishwasher to millionaire ).

Early life and career

Annette Huldana Squire Henry

Alger was an orphan at the age of 12 and worked on a farm with two of his siblings. He attended Richfield Academy in Summit County, Ohio , and taught at a country school for two winters. He then studied law in Akron , Ohio , and was admitted to the bar in March 1859. He first practiced in Cleveland and then moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan , where he became involved in the lumber business. On April 2, 1861, he married Annette H. Henry of Grand Rapids. They had six children; Fee, Caroline, Frances, Russell Jr. (a later co-owner and vice president of Packard Motor Car Company ), Fred and Allan.

Civil war

Alger entered the American Civil War in 1861 as a simple soldier. He became a militia officer in the 2nd Michigan Infantry Regiment with the rank of brevet captain and later major. At the Battle of Boonesville on July 11, 1862, Colonel Philip Sheridan and ninety men selected he was ordered to the rear of the enemy to attack them. The Confederate forces were defeated. Although Alger was wounded and captured, he escaped that same day. On October 16, he became a Brevet Lieutenant Colonel in the 6th Michigan Cavalry. On February 28, 1863 he was promoted to Brevet Colonel and assigned to the 5th Michigan Cavalry. His first order was to occupy Gettysburg, Pennsylvania , on June 28th . This gave him special mention in General George Armstrong Custer's report on cavalry tactics. He was badly wounded near Boonesborough, Maryland , while in pursuit of the enemy on July 8th . He participated in General Sheridan's Valley campaign in Virginia in 1864 . On June 11, 1864, at the Battle of Trevilian Station , he captured large numbers of Confederate troops after a brilliant cavalry charge. A year later, on June 11, 1865, he was a salaried Brigadier General and Major General of the Volunteers. There have been four different types of ranks since 1812. Only the United States Army and the United States Volunteers awarded full rank . Brevet ranks are titular ranks without corresponding command and salary. They served, among other things, to ensure regular officers, who often headed small departments, the supreme command of much larger volunteer associations, which were often headed by formally higher-ranking, but insufficiently trained officers.

After the war, Alger settled in Detroit as head of Alger, Smith & Company and Manistique Lumbering Company.

Michigan governor

In 1884, Alger was elected as the Republican Party candidate for Michigan’s 20th governor . His two-year term began on January 1, 1885 and ended after he did not run for re-election on December 31, 1886. During this time, a home for war veterans was built in Grand Rapids. A pardon committee was also set up in Michigan. In addition, two new districts were created.

Meanwhile

Even after the end of his governorship, Alger remained politically active. In the 1888 presidential election , he was one of the Republican electors who voted for President Benjamin Harrison . Alger was also active in the Union Army Veterans Association (GAR) and became chairman of that organization.

Federal politics

Alger became Secretary of War in the Cabinet of President William McKinley on March 5, 1897. As a minister, he recommended raising the pay of military personnel in foreign embassies and other legations. He recommended that Congress approve a second vice minister of war and the deployment of police forces to Cuba , Puerto Rico and the Philippines . Alger resigned at the request of President McKinley on August 1, 1899, after he was held responsible for inadequate preparation and ineffective operations at the Ministry during the Spanish-American War . In particular, he was charged with the appointment of William R. Shafter as leader of the Cuban expedition.

On September 17, 1902, Alger was named a US Senator by Michigan's Governor Aaron T. Bliss to replace the late incumbent James McMillan . In January 1903, the Michigan State Parliament confirmed him in office. Alger held this mandate until his death in 1907. In the Senate, he was chairman of the Committee on Coastal Defense and the Committee on the Pacific Railroad (both in the 59th US Congress).

Russell Alger was buried in Elmwood Cemetery in Detroit, Michigan.

legacy

The Russell Alexander Alger Memorial Fountain in Grand Circus Park, Detroit, by Daniel Chester French

The Alger County in Michigan has been named after him. A monument by the Detroit sculptor Carlo Romanelli , consisting of his bronze bust on a stone base, was erected on the grounds of William G. Mather High School in Munising, Michigan . It was funded by funds from Alger's heirs and the Munising Township School Education Committee in June 1909. A commemorative fountain created by the sculptor Daniel Chester French and the architect Henry Bacon was inaugurated in Detroit in 1921.

In 1942 a US Liberty Ship named SS Russell A. Alger was planned, but the order was canceled before construction began.

Alger was also known for its pronounced xenophobic and anti-immigrant views. He feared the influx of Chinese pagans into Michigan, as well as the influence of Mormons and other religious communities. Alger also saw immigration as Michigan's greatest economic weakness.

literature

Robert Sobel and John Raimo (Eds.): Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789–1978. Volume 2, Meckler Books, Westport, 1978. 4 volumes.
Dictionary of American Biography
Rodney E. Bell: A Life of Russell Alexander Alger. Ph.D. dissertation, University of Michigan, 1975
US Congress: Memorial Addresses for Russell Alexander Alger . 59th Cong., 2nd sess. Washington, DC: United States Government Printing Office , 1907.
Michigan Historical Commission: Michigan Biographies: Russell Alger . Lansing 1924.
Michigan Commandery of the Military of the Loyal Legion of the United States.
Final Journal of the Grand Army of the Republic , 1957. Compiled by Cora Gillis, Jamestown, New York, Past National President, Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War, 1861-1865, Inc. and last National Secretary of the Grand Army of the Republic.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME	Alger, Russell Alexander
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	American politician
DATE OF BIRTH	February 27, 1836
PLACE OF BIRTH	Lafayette Township , Medina County , Ohio
DATE OF DEATH	January 24, 1907
Place of death	Washington, DC