Alexander CALDWELL, Congress, KS (1830-1917)

CALDWELL, Alexander, a Senator from Kansas; born at Drakes Ferry, Huntingdon County, Pa., March 1, 1830; attended the public schools; enlisted in 1847 as a private in the Mexican War; moved to Columbia, Pa., in 1848; employed in a bank and subsequently went into business for himself; moved to Leavenworth, Kans., in 1861 and engaged in the transportation of military supplies to the various posts on the plains; engaged in the building of railroads, especially the Missouri River and Kansas Central Railroad; elected as a Republican to the United States Senate and served from March 4, 1871, to March 24, 1873, when he resigned; manufactured wagons and carriages 1877-1897; president of the First National Bank of Leavenworth 1897-1915; died in Kansas City, Mo., May 19, 1917; interment in Mount Muncie Cemetery, Leavenworth, Kans.

Bibliography

Dictionary of American Biography; LaForte, Robert S. “Gilded Age Senator: The Election, Investigation, and Resignation of Alexander Caldwell, 1871-1873.” Kansas History 21 (1998-99): 234-255.

Source: Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1771-Present