Alexander Warner (January 10, 1827 – September 6, 1914) was an American Union Army officer, banker, planter, and Republican politician. He was the 15th

Secretary of State of Mississippi The Mississippi Secretary of State is an officer of Mississippi originally established under the Article IV, §14 of Mississippi Constitution of 1817, and was reestablished under Article V, §133 of the Mississippi Constitution of 1890. Several ...

, the 44th State Treasurer of Connecticut, and a member of the Kansas House of Representatives.

Biography

Alexander Warner was born on January 10, 1827, in Smithfield, Rhode Island. He was the son of Thomas Warner and Amy (Collins) Warner. His family moved to Woodstock, Connecticut, in 1834. He attended Woodstock Academy in Woodstock and Wesleyan Academy in Wilbraham, Massachusetts. He then worked as a cotton twine manufacturer, owning and managing a cotton twine manufacturing factory.

Military career

Warner was one of the first people to enlist in the American Civil War. He was appointed major of the 3rd Infantry of Connecticut Volunteers on May 14, 1861. On July 21 of that year, he and his unit fought in the

1st Battle of Bull Run The First Battle of Bull Run (the name used by Union forces), also known as the Battle of First Manassas

. The 3rd Infantry was mustered out on August 12, 1861. On January 15, 1862, Warner was appointed lieutenant colonel of the

13th Connecticut Infantry Regiment The 13th Connecticut Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 13th Connecticut Infantry Regiment was organized at New Haven, Connecticut, beginning November 25, 1861, and ...

and sent to Louisiana. After the Union capture of New Orleans, the unit's colonel, Henry Birge, was made a brigadier general and Warner was promoted to colonel of the unit. He then fought in the Battle of Georgia Landing, the

Battle of Irish Bend The Battle of Irish Bend, also known as Nerson's Woods or Franklin, was a battle in the American Civil War. It was fought between Union Major General Nathaniel Prentice Banks against Confederate Major General Richard Taylor during Banks's oper ...

, and the Siege of Port Hudson. He then temporarily resigned due to ill health. After returning to service, he raised the 5th Louisiana Infantry Regiment for defending the Union-controlled New Orleans. He did this until resigning due to ill health on August 12, 1863. After the war, he bought a large plantation in Madison County, Mississippi, where he employed freedmen and gave them monetary wages.

Political career

Mississippi

In June 1865, he was appointed

by the military. He served in this position until his removal on August 12, 1865. From 1870 to 1876, he represented the state's 12th district ( Madison County) in the Mississippi Senate. For part of that time, he was also its President Pro Tempore. In 1876, he was a commissioner from Mississippi to the Centennial Exposition.

Connecticut

Warner moved to Pomfret, Connecticut, in 1877, buying a farm there called "Woodlawn". He was elected to be the 44th State Treasurer of Connecticut, serving from 1887 to 1889. In Connecticut, he was also a member of its State Board of Agriculture. During this time, he was a commissioner from Connecticut to the Centennial celebration in Philadelphia (1887), Ohio Centennial (1888), and the

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

Centennial (1889).

Kansas

In 1890, Warner moved to Baxter Springs, Kansas. While there, he was the president of the Baxter Bank. In 1892, he was elected to the Kansas House of Representatives, representing the state's 25th district. He assumed the position on January 20, 1893. He was re-elected and also served from 1895 to 1897. In 1896, he ran as a Republican for the position of Lieutenant Governor of Kansas.

Later life

After his wife died in 1902, Warner moved to his son's house in

Point Pleasant, New Jersey Point Pleasant is a borough in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was down from 19,306 in 2000 but still up from 18,177 in 1990. The Borough is a Jersey Shore community situa ...

, where he spent the rest of his life. Warner died after a two-week illness in

, on September 6, 1914. He was buried at Woodstock Hill Cemetery in Woodstock, Connecticut.

Personal life

Warner married Mary Trumbull Mathewson (1834–1902) on September 27, 1855. Mathewson was the great-granddaughter of Declaration of Independence signer William Williams. Together, they had two children: Benjamin Silliman Warner, born September 24, 1856, and Arthur McClellan Warner, who was born on April 13, 1860, and died in his childhood.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Warner, Alexander 1827 births 1914 deaths Secretaries of State of Mississippi Republican Party Mississippi state senators Republican Party members of the Kansas House of Representatives State treasurers of Connecticut Connecticut Republicans People from Smithfield, Rhode Island People from Woodstock, Connecticut People of Connecticut in the American Civil War 19th-century American legislators Union Army colonels 19th-century Kansas politicians