Alson Jenness Streeter (January 18, 1823 – November 24, 1901) was an American farmer, miner and politician who was the Union Labor Party nominee in the

United States presidential election The election of the president and the vice president of the United States is an indirect election in which citizens of the United States who are registered to vote in one of the fifty U.S. states or in Washington, D.C., cast ballots not dire ...

of 1888. He was also an early member of the

National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry The Grange, officially named The National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry, is a social organization in the United States that encourages families to band together to promote the economic and political well-being of the community and ...

following its foundation in the 1860s and supported

Granger Laws The Granger Laws were a series of laws passed in several midwestern states of the United States, namely Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Illinois, in the late 1860s and early 1870s.American History, “The Granger Laws,” From Revolution to Reconstr ...

while in office.

Early life and education

Alson Streeter was born on January 18, 1823, in

Rensselaer County, New York Rensselaer County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 161,130. Its county seat is Troy. The county is named in honor of the family of Kiliaen van Rensselaer, the original Dutch owner of the l ...

to Eleanor Kenyon and Roswell Streeter. The family later moved to

Allegany County, New York Allegany County is a County (United States), county in the Southern Tier of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. As of the United States Census 2020, 2020 census, the population was 46,456. Its county seat is Belmont, New York, Belmont. ...

in 1827 and

Lee County, Illinois Lee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 36,031. Its county seat is Dixon. The Dixon, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Lee County. History The area's ...

in 1836. He lived with his parents until his father's death in 1840, after which he became a miner and farmer. He attended Knox College in Illinois in 1846 and graduated in 1849.

Career

In 1849, he moved to California, but returned to Illinois in 1851. In 1853 and 1854, he returned to California for a short time to drive cattle. During the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, he supported the

War Democrat War Democrats in American politics of the 1860s were members of the Democratic Party who supported the Union and rejected the policies of the Copperheads (or Peace Democrats). The War Democrats demanded a more aggressive policy toward the Con ...

faction of the Democratic Party. In the 1860s, he entered politics as an unsuccessful candidate for

Illinois General Assembly The Illinois General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. state of Illinois. It has two chambers, the Illinois House of Representatives and the Illinois Senate. The General Assembly was created by the first state constitution adopted in 181 ...

. In 1862, he joined the Mercer County Board of Supervisors. Streeter was elected as a Democratic member of the

Illinois House of Representatives The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The House under the current constitution as amended in 1980 consists of 118 re ...

for the 1873–1874 session from Mercer County. In 1874, he became a member of the recently founded

Greenback Party The Greenback Party (known successively as the Independent Party, the National Independent Party and the Greenback Labor Party) was an American political party with an anti-monopoly ideology which was active between 1874 and 1889. The party ran ...

. In 1878, he was the Greenback nominee for Congress for

Illinois's 10th congressional district The 10th congressional district of Illinois lies in the northeast corner of the state, and mostly comprises northern suburbs of Chicago. It was created after the 1860 census. The district is currently represented by Democrat Brad Schneider. ...

, and was the party's nominee for

Governor of Illinois The governor of Illinois is the head of government of Illinois, and the various agencies and departments over which the officer has jurisdiction, as prescribed in the state constitution. It is a directly elected position, votes being cast by p ...

in 1880, coming in third with over 28,000 votes. In 1884, he was elected under a Greenback-Democratic fusion ticket to the

Illinois State Senate The Illinois Senate is the upper chamber of the Illinois General Assembly, the legislative branch of the government of the State of Illinois in the United States. The body was created by the first state constitution adopted in 1818. Under the I ...

and served until 1888. In the 1891 United States Senate election, he was narrowly defeated by former Governor John M. Palmer for Illinois' seat in the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

by eleven votes. In 1884, he served as the temporary chairman of the recently founded Anti-Monopoly Party. In the 1888 presidential election, he won the Union Labor Party's nomination by acclamation on the first ballot, with Charles E. Cunningham as his running mate. Streeter and Cunningham finished fourth in a field of six in the election, garnering 149,115 votes or 1.31 percent of the nationwide total.

Personal life

He was married twice, to Deborah Boone Streeter and Susan Menold Streeter. Streeter had three sons and four daughters. On November 24, 1901, Streeter died at his home in

New Windsor, Illinois Windsor, also known as New Windsor, is a village in Rivoli Township, Mercer County, Illinois, Rivoli Township, Mercer County, Illinois, Mercer County, Illinois, United States. The population was 748 at the 2010 census, up from 720 in 2000. The off ...

from

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ap ...

and was interred in New Windsor Cemetery in Mercer County, Illinois.

Electoral history

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Streeter, Alson 1823 births 1901 deaths American miners Farmers from Illinois Illinois Greenbacks Illinois Laborites Anti-Monopoly Party politicians Democratic Party members of the Illinois House of Representatives Democratic Party Illinois state senators County commissioners in Illinois Knox College (Illinois) alumni People from Mercer County, Illinois People from Allegany County, New York People from Rensselaer County, New York 1888 United States presidential election