Alexander W. Monroe
Honorable Alexander W. Monroe | |
---|---|
Speaker of the West Virginia House of Delegates | |
In office 1875–1877 | |
Preceded by | William M. Miller |
Succeeded by | Eustace Gibson |
Member of the West Virginia House of Delegates from the Hampshire County district | |
In office 1875–1877 | |
Preceded by | George Deaver, Jr. |
Succeeded by | Asa Hiett |
In office 1879–1883 | |
Preceded by | Asa Hiett |
Succeeded by | Henry Bell Gilkeson |
Member of the Virginia House of Delegates from the Hampshire County district | |
In office 1850–1851 Serving with William P. Stump | |
Preceded by | Robert Massey Powell William P. Stump |
Succeeded by | James Allen Thomas B. White |
Personal details | |
Born | 18th Virginia Cavalry | December 29, 1817
Battles/wars | American Civil War |
Alexander W. Monroe (December 29, 1817 – March 16, 1905) was a prominent American lawyer, politician, and military officer in the U.S. states of
Monroe was born in Hampshire County, Virginia (present-day West Virginia) in 1817. At the age of 18, he and his siblings were orphaned and he became a schoolteacher to provide for the education of his brothers and sisters. He later became a county surveyor, and studied jurisprudence. Monroe was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates (1850–1851), during which time he participated in the 1851 reform of the Constitution of Virginia. He was admitted to the Virginia bar in 1858 and in 1861, he purchased the Virginia Argus and Hampshire Advertiser newspaper, which he operated until the onset of the American Civil War.
In 1861, Monroe commanded the 114th Regiment of the
Monroe returned to the practice of law and in 1872 was a participant in the West Virginia Constitutional Convention. From 1875 to 1877, he was a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates and was twice elected speaker. He was the first delegate to represent Hampshire County in both the Virginia General Assembly and the West Virginia Legislature. Monroe was twice appointed as a director of the West Virginia Hospital for the Insane. He again served in the West Virginia House of Delegates from 1879 to 1883. Monroe retired to his farm on the Little Cacapon River and died in 1905.
Early life and family relations
Alexander W. Monroe was born on December 29, 1817, in Hampshire County, Virginia (now West Virginia), and was the oldest child of Robert and Elizabeth Monroe.[1][2][3] His parents were of Scottish descent.[4] Monroe's great uncle, Dr. John Monroe, was an early physician and Baptist minister in Hampshire County.[5] Monroe had four younger brothers and two sisters: Robert W. Monroe, James W. Monroe, J. Walker Monroe, Marion Monroe, a Mrs. Snapp, and Sarah Ann Monroe Garrett.[6][7] His brother, Robert W. Monroe, was later appointed by United States President Grover Cleveland as an Indian agent in Idaho.[8]
At the age of 18, Monroe and his siblings were orphaned, and Monroe took responsibility for the rearing and education of his four younger brothers and two sisters.[1][6] To accomplish this feat, he taught school during the winter months, and worked the family's farm during the growing season.[1][9][10]
Early professions and political career
Monroe studied
Monroe and Job N. Cookus purchased the Virginia Argus and Hampshire Advertiser newspaper in Romney in 1861.[10][16][17] During their joint ownership, the offices for the Virginia Argus and Hampshire Advertiser were located in an old stone building that formerly housed the Romney Academy behind the Hampshire County Courthouse.[18] Monroe and Cookus continued serving as its editors and publishers until the Union Army closed down the Advertiser's offices in August 1861, after which the newspaper was not revived.[6][10][16]
Military career
Following the outbreak of the American Civil War in July 1861, Monroe commanded the 114th Regiment of the Virginia militia with the rank of colonel.[19][20][21] At age 43, Monroe was the oldest colonel, by his commission, serving in the Virginia militia.[4][10]
On October 26, 1861, Monroe's 114th Regiment took part in a
Monroe remained the
Following the passage of the
Monroe was later in command of the
Later political career
During the
In March 1875 and a year later in March 1876, he was appointed by Governor John Jeremiah Jacob and the West Virginia Board of Public Works as a director for the West Virginia Hospital for the Insane in Weston.[31][32] In June 1876 at the state Democratic convention in Charleston, Monroe was selected as a delegate from West Virginia's 2nd congressional district to attend the 1876 Democratic National Convention in St. Louis.[33]
Monroe again served as a member of the House of Delegates representing Hampshire County from 1879 to 1883.[1][28][29] He was nominated for the house speakership but lost to George H. Moffet.[34] In 1881, Monroe was a member of the Joint Revisory Committee, which was charged with amending the laws and statutes of the West Virginia Code.[1][35]
Throughout his political career, Monroe continued to engage in the practice of law in Romney. In 1887 he and
Business pursuits
On February 23, 1871, the West Virginia Legislature passed an act incorporating the South Branch Railway Company, responsible for the construction and operation of a branch line connecting Romney with the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad main line at Green Spring. Monroe was named by the legislature as one of the commissioners of the South Branch Railway Company, charged with the responsibility of signing up investors to purchase capital stock in the company.[37]
Later life and death
During his later years, Monroe resided on his farm on the Little Cacapon River in the Barnes Mill community of Hampshire County.[4][6][10] Monroe succumbed to heart failure and died the night of March 16, 1905, at his home near Romney.[10][11][38] Monroe was survived by his second wife Margaret and their four children.[6][10] Monroe is interred with his wife Margaret at Indian Mound Cemetery in Romney.[39]
Marriage and children
In 1852, Monroe married his first wife, Sarah A. French, daughter of John and Eleanor French. Monroe and his wife Sarah had one son, James W. Monroe.[4] Following Sarah's death, Monroe married his second wife, Margaret Ellen Pugh, daughter of Benjamin and Sarah Pugh, on November 21, 1866.[3][4][6] Monroe and Margaret had at least four children:[4][6][11]
- Robert Pugh Monroe (October 14, 1867 – 1924), married Elwilda Idelle Kidner on March 20, 1906[40][41]
- Sallie Elizabeth Monroe Haines (born October 20, 1869), married Charles William Haines on January 31, 1893[42][43]
- Ellen G. Monroe Tharp, married Wilbur L. Tharp on November 29, 1899[44]
- Annie H. Monroe
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Atkinson & Gibbens 1890, p. 487.
- ^ a b c d e f g Maxwell & Swisher 1897, p. 495.
- ^ a b "Marriage Record Detail: Alexander Monroe". West Virginia Vital Research Records. West Virginia Division of Culture and History. Archived from the original on October 8, 2015. Retrieved October 8, 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Maxwell & Swisher 1897, p. 718.
- ^ Maxwell & Swisher 1897, p. 492.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Brief History of Interest". The Daily Telegram. Clarksburg, West Virginia. March 23, 1905. p. 1. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved October 8, 2015 – via Chronicling America.
- ^ "Marriage Record Detail: Sarah Ann Monroe". West Virginia Vital Research Records. West Virginia Division of Culture and History. Archived from the original on October 8, 2015. Retrieved October 8, 2015.
- ^ Maxwell & Swisher 1897, p. 496.
- ^ Maxwell & Swisher 1897, p. 297.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Col. Alex. Monroe Dead: Commanded Section of Lee's Rear Guard in Retreat". The Baltimore Sun. Baltimore. March 23, 1905. Retrieved October 8, 2015.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b c d e Munske & Kerns 2004, p. 178.
- ^ a b c d e f g Ritter & Wakelyn 1989, p. 449.
- ^ Virginia State Library Board 1917, p. 171.
- ^ Munske & Kerns 2004, p. 47.
- ^ "Col. Alexander Monroe has been nominated for the State Senate". Spirit of Jefferson. Charles Town, West Virginia. May 5, 1857. p. 2. Archived from the original on March 8, 2016. Retrieved October 8, 2015 – via Chronicling America.
- ^ a b Maxwell & Swisher 1897, p. 357.
- OCLC 11111337. Archived from the originalon October 8, 2015. Retrieved October 8, 2015.
- ^ Maxwell & Swisher 1897, p. 298.
- ^ Blue 1994, p. 4.
- ^ a b c Hinkle 2003, p. 50.
- ^ a b Wallace 1986, p. 60.
- ^ a b Maxwell & Swisher 1897, p. 565.
- ^ a b c Lewis 1889, p. 451.
- ^ "Message from the Governor". The Wheeling Daily Intelligencer. Wheeling, West Virginia. February 19, 1868. p. 2. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved October 8, 2015 – via Chronicling America.
- ^ a b c Maxwell & Swisher 1897, pp. 114–115.
- ^ "The Convention". The Wheeling Daily Intelligencer. Wheeling, West Virginia. January 1, 1872. p. 2. Archived from the original on March 8, 2016. Retrieved October 8, 2015 – via Chronicling America.
- ^ a b Maxwell & Swisher 1897, p. 278.
- ^ a b Munske & Kerns 2004, p. 180.
- ^ West Virginia Legislature 1922, p. 232.
- ^ "Board of Directors of the Insane Asylum". Spirit of Jefferson. Charles Town, West Virginia. March 23, 1875. p. 2. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved October 8, 2015 – via Chronicling America.
- ^ "Appointment for Directors of the West Virginia Hospital for the Insane". The Weston Democrat. Weston, West Virginia. March 13, 1876. p. 3. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved October 8, 2015 – via Chronicling America.
- ^ "Charleston Dispatch: Last Hours and Closing Scenes of the Convention". The Wheeling Daily Intelligencer. Wheeling, West Virginia. June 10, 1876. p. 1. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved October 8, 2015 – via Chronicling America.
- ^ "The Legislature Caucuses Last Night". The Wheeling Daily Intelligencer. Wheeling, West Virginia. January 8, 1879. p. 4. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved October 8, 2015 – via Chronicling America.
- ^ "At Home". The Weekly Register. Point Pleasant, West Virginia. March 23, 1881. p. 2. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved October 8, 2015 – via Chronicling America.
- ^ "A Woman Tried for Murder". The Wheeling Daily Intelligencer. Wheeling, West Virginia. May 20, 1887. p. 1. Archived from the original on March 8, 2016. Retrieved October 8, 2015 – via Chronicling America.
- ^ West Virginia Legislature 1871, p. 121.
- ^ "Death Record Detail: Alexander Monroe". West Virginia Vital Research Records. West Virginia Division of Culture and History. Archived from the original on October 8, 2015. Retrieved October 8, 2015.
- ^ "Indian Mound Cemetery: Hampshire County's Most Historic Cemetery – List of Interments". HistoricHampshire.org. HistoricHampshire.org, Charles C. Hall. Archived from the original on October 8, 2015. Retrieved October 8, 2015.
- ^ "Birth Record Detail: Robert P. Monroe". West Virginia Vital Research Records. West Virginia Division of Culture and History. Archived from the original on October 8, 2015. Retrieved October 8, 2015.
- ^ "Marriage Record Detail: Robert Pugh Monroe". West Virginia Vital Research Records. West Virginia Division of Culture and History. Archived from the original on October 8, 2015. Retrieved October 8, 2015.
- ^ "Birth Record Detail: Sally Elizabeth Monroe". West Virginia Vital Research Records. West Virginia Division of Culture and History. Archived from the original on October 8, 2015. Retrieved October 8, 2015.
- ^ "Marriage Record Detail: Sarah Elizabeth Monroe". West Virginia Vital Research Records. West Virginia Division of Culture and History. Archived from the original on October 8, 2015. Retrieved October 8, 2015.
- ^ "Marriage Record Detail: Ellen Monroe". West Virginia Vital Research Records. West Virginia Division of Culture and History. Archived from the original on October 8, 2015. Retrieved October 8, 2015.
Bibliography
- OCLC 3886825 – via Google Books.
- Blue, John (1994). Daniel P. Oates (ed.). Hanging Rock Rebel: Lt. John Blue's War in West Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley. OCLC 29254746.
- Hinkle, Harlan H. (2003). Grayback Mountaineers: The Confederate Face Of Western Virginia. New York City: iUniverse. .
- Lewis, Virgil Anson (1889). History of West Virginia. Philadelphia: Hubbard Brothers. OCLC 4270768 – via Internet Archive.
- OL 23304577M.
- Munske, Roberta R.; Kerns, Wilmer L., eds. (2004). Hampshire County, West Virginia, 1754–2004. OCLC 55983178.
- .
- Ritter, Charles F.; Wakelyn, Jon L. (1989). American Legislative Leaders, 1850–1910. .
- Wallace, Lee A. (1986). A Guide to Virginia Military Organizations, 1861–1865. .
- .
- .
External links
- Media related to Alexander W. Monroe at Wikimedia Commons