George Spalding (November 12, 1836 – September 13, 1915) was a politician from the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

Biography

Spalding was born in Blairgowrie,

Perthshire, Scotland Perthshire ( locally: ; gd, Siorrachd Pheairt), officially the County of Perth, is a historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north ...

and immigrated to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

in 1843 with his parents. The settled in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

, where he attended the public schools. He later moved to

Monroe, Michigan Monroe is the largest city and county seat of Monroe County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Monroe had a population of 20,462 in the 2020 census. The city is bordered on the south by Monroe Charter Township, but the two are administered autonomo ...

, and taught school in 1860 and 1861. He entered the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

on June 20, 1861, as a private in Company A,

4th Michigan Volunteer Infantry Regiment The 4th Michigan Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The 4th Michigan wore a very Americanized zouave uniform. This uniform consisted of a Federal dark blue 4 button sack coat, ...

, and was promoted through the ranks to

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 of ...

of the 12th U.S. Tennessee Cavalry. In 1865, Spalding was promoted to

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

brevet Brevet may refer to: Military * Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay * Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college * Aircre ...

to commemorate his wartime service. George Spalding grave Woodland Cemetgery Monroe Michigan

Spalding was appointed postmaster of Monroe, July 27, 1866, and served until December 15, 1870. He was special agent of the

U.S. Treasury Department The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States, where it serves as an executive department. The department oversees the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and ...

, serving from 1871 to 1875. He was elected mayor of Monroe in 1876 and served as president of the board of education. He studied law and was admitted to the

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...

in 1878. He later became a member of the board of control of the State Industrial Home for Girls from 1885 to 1897. In 1894, he 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 2nd congressional district Michigan's 2nd congressional district is a United States congressional district in Western Michigan. The current 2nd district contains much of Michigan's old 4th congressional district, and includes all of Manistee, Mason, Lake, Osceola, Clar ...

to the

54th United States Congress The 54th United States 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 Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1895, ...

, and re-elected to the 55th Congress, serving from March 4, 1895 to March 3, 1899. He was an unsuccessful candidate for re-nomination in 1898, losing to Henry C. Smith in the Republican primary elections. Spalding was again appointed postmaster of Monroe on February 20, 1899, and served until February 13, 1907. He resumed the practice of law and also engaged in agricultural pursuits. He was president of the First National Bank of Monroe until his death there. He was interred in

Woodland Cemetery Woodland Cemetery may refer to: * Woodland cemetery, a type of cemetery or it may refer to specific places: in Sweden * Skogskyrkogården (The Woodland Cemetery) in Stockholm, Sweden in the United States (by state) * Woodland Cemetery (Quincy, I ...

References

Retrieved on 2008-02-15
The Political Graveyard

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Spalding, George 1836 births 1915 deaths Burials at Woodland Cemetery (Monroe, Michigan) British emigrants to the United States Union Army colonels People from Monroe, Michigan People from Blairgowrie and Rattray Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Michigan 19th-century American politicians Military personnel from Michigan