Aaron Thomas Bliss (May 22, 1837 – September 16, 1906) was an American politician who served as a
U.S. Representative
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...
and the 25th
governor of Michigan, and was from
Saginaw
Saginaw () is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Saginaw County. The city of Saginaw and Saginaw County are both in the area known as Mid-Michigan. Saginaw is adjacent to Saginaw Charter Township and considered part of Greater ...
.
Bliss Township was named after him.
Early life in New York
Bliss was born to Lyman and Anna M. (Chaffee) Bliss in
Peterboro, New York
Peterboro, located approximately southeast of Syracuse, New York, is a historic hamlet and currently the administrative center for the Town of Smithfield, Madison County, New York, United States. Peterboro has a Post Office, ZIP code 13134.
...
and attended the common schools. He was employed as a clerk in a store in
Morrisville, New York, in 1853 and 1854 and with the $100 he made there he attended a select school in
Munnsville, New York
Munnsville is a village located in the Town of Stockbridge in Madison County, New York, United States. The population was 474 at the 2010 census. The village is named for an early settler, Asa Munn, and located on New York State Route 46.
Hist ...
, in 1854. The following year, Bliss moved to Bouckville, a small town in
Madison County, New York
Madison County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 68,016. Its county seat is Wampsville. The county is named after James Madison, the fourth president of the United States, and was fir ...
, where he engaged in mercantile pursuits.
Civil War
During the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...
, Bliss enlisted as a private in the Peterman Guards of the Tenth New York Volunteer Cavalry, October 1, 1861, and reported for duty at
Elmira, New York. After a quick advancement to lieutenant, his regiment formed a part of
Kilpatrick's Brigade and was ordered to the front, joining the
Army of the Potomac
The Army of the Potomac was the principal Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was created in July 1861 shortly after the First Battle of Bull Run and was disbanded in June 1865 following the surrender of the Confede ...
. He commanded a squadron from Washington, D.C. during the
Second Battle of Bull Run and his rank advanced to
captain. He also fought in the battle of
Fredericksburg,
the Wilderness,
Petersburg, Ground Squirrel Church,
Stony Creek,
South Mountain,
Falls Church and
Warrenton. Then he was captured on General Wilson's raid near
Richmond. For six months he was held at the
Confederate
Confederacy or confederate may refer to:
States or communities
* Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities
* Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...
prisons of
Andersonville, Georgia
Andersonville is a city in Sumter County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 237. It is located in the southwest part of the state, approximately southwest of Macon on the Central of Georgia railroad. ...
,
Charleston, South Carolina,
Macon, Georgia, and
Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is List of municipalities in South Carolina, the second-largest ...
, where on November 29, 1864, like the man who would later precede him as governor,
Hazen S. Pingree, Bliss escaped from a Confederate prison. He walked near three weeks until he reached
General Sherman's army at
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia and is the county seat of Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the British colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later t ...
, just two days before its evacuation. Bliss soon rejoined his own command at
Petersburg, Virginia
Petersburg is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 33,458. The Bureau of Econ ...
, where he remained until the war ended.
Life in Michigan
In December 1865, he moved to
Saginaw, Michigan
Saginaw () is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Saginaw County. The city of Saginaw and Saginaw County are both in the area known as Mid-Michigan. Saginaw is adjacent to Saginaw Charter Township and considered part of Greater ...
and found employment at a shingle mill. With his brother, Lyman W. Bliss, and J. H. Jerome, he formed A. T. Bliss & Company and engaged in the manufacture of
lumber
Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, wi ...
and the exploitation of lands along the Tobacco River. On March 31, 1868, he married Allaseba Morey Phelps of Solsville, New York, north of the town of
Madison Madison may refer to:
People
* Madison (name), a given name and a surname
* James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States
Place names
* Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...
. That same spring the brothers bought the Jerome mill at
Zilwaukee, and it became A. T. Bliss & Brother. In 1880, Bliss was one of the organizers and a director of the Citizen's National Bank, which was reorganized into the Bank of Saginaw, and was president and director of the Saginaw County Savings Bank.
Politics
In 1882, Bliss was elected member of the
Michigan Senate from Saginaw County (
25th district), and during that time helped establish a soldiers' home in
Grand Rapids. He was appointed
aide-de-camp on the staff of Governor
Russell A. Alger
Russell Alexander Alger (February 27, 1836 – January 24, 1907) was an American politician and businessman. He served as the 20th Governor of Michigan, U.S. Senator, and U.S. Secretary of War.
He was supposedly a distant relation of author H ...
in 1885, with the rank of
colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...
, and held the same position on the staff of the commander in chief of the
Grand Army of the Republic
The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army (United States Army), Union Navy (U.S. Navy), and the Marines who served in the American Civil War. It was founded in 1866 in Decatur, Il ...
in 1888.
In 1888, Bliss was elected as a
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
from
Michigan's 8th congressional district
Michigan's 8th congressional district is a United States congressional district in Southern Michigan and Southeast Michigan, including almost all of the state capital, Lansing.
From 2003 to 2013, it consisted of all of Clinton, Ingham, and ...
to the
51st Congress
The 51st United States Congress, referred to by some critics as the Billion Dollar Congress, was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Rep ...
, serving from March 4, 1889, to March 3, 1891. Among notable bills he introduced were for appropriating $100,000 for a federal building in Saginaw and $25,000 for an Indian school at Mt. Pleasant. He was an unsuccessful candidate for re-election in 1890 to the
52nd Congress, being defeated by
Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
Henry M. Youmans.
After leaving Congress, Bliss resumed the lumber business and also engaged in banking. He was department commander of the Grand Army of the Republic in Michigan in 1897.
In 1900, Bliss was elected
Governor of Michigan, defeating
mayor of Detroit
This is a list of mayors of Detroit, Michigan. See History of Detroit, Michigan, for more information about the history of the incorporation of the city.
The current mayor is Mike Duggan, who was sworn into office on January 1, 2014.
History ...
William C. Maybury, and was re-elected in 1902, serving from 1901 through 1904.
Election notes, Aaron Bliss
During his four years in office, the Michigan Employment Institution for the Adult Blind was established in Saginaw, a state highway department was formed, and railroad taxation was sanctioned.
Retirement and death
Bliss was a patron of the Home for the Friendless, the Y.M.C.A., the Methodist Church and was also a member of the Freemasons and Knights Templar.
Bliss died less than two years after leaving office at the age of sixty-nine in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...
, while on a visit for medical treatment. He is interred in Forest Lawn Cemetery in Saginaw, Michigan
Saginaw () is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Saginaw County. The city of Saginaw and Saginaw County are both in the area known as Mid-Michigan. Saginaw is adjacent to Saginaw Charter Township and considered part of Greater ...
.
References
Retrieved on February 14, 2008
The Political Graveyard
National Governors Association
Michigan Legislative Biography
Further reading
Fuller, George, Ed., ''Messages of the Governors of Michigan, Volume 4'' (East Lansing, Michigan: Michigan State University Press)
; .
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bliss, Aaron Thomas
1837 births
1906 deaths
Republican Party governors of Michigan
Republican Party Michigan state senators
Union Army soldiers
Burials in Michigan
Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Michigan
Politicians from Saginaw, Michigan
Methodists from Michigan
People from Peterboro, New York
19th-century American politicians
20th-century American politicians
People from Madison County, New York
Grand Army of the Republic officials