Moses Wheelock Field (February 10, 1828 – March 14, 1889) was a businessman and politician. He served as a member of the

United States House of Representatives 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 house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

from the U.S. state of

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 ...

, and was instrumental in organizing the Independent Greenback Party.

Early life and education

Field was born in

Watertown, New York Watertown is a city in, and the county seat of, Jefferson County, New York, United States. It is approximately south of the Thousand Islands, along the Black River about east of where it flows into Lake Ontario. The city is bordered by the ...

, the son of William Field and Rebecca (Wheelock) Field. He moved with his parents to Cato, New York, and attended public schools and graduated from the academy in

Victor, New York Victor is an incorporated town in Ontario County, New York. The population was 15,969 at the time of the 2020 census. The town is named after Claudius Victor Boughton, an American hero of the War of 1812. The Town of Victor contains a village, ...

In 1844, he moved to

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

, and engaged in mercantile and agricultural pursuits. Here he married Mary Kercheval whose father, Benjamin Kercheval (1793-1855), had been an officer in the War of 1812. He built a house on Field Avenue which his mother-in-law thought was too far from the center of town. He operated the Detroit Glass Works and the Detroit Hoop Manufacturing Company. In 1865, he was instrumental in establishing the Michigan State Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and helped create state laws relating to the humane treatment of animals. He is credited with helping establish an art museum in Detroit, and helping establish public drinking fountains in Detroit in 1871. Field served as

Alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many Jurisdiction, jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council membe ...

of Detroit from 1863-1865.

Career

He was elected as a Republican candidate from Michigan's 1st congressional district to the

43rd Congress The 43rd 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, 1873, ...

, serving from March 4, 1873 to March 3, 1875. He was an unsuccessful candidate for re-election in 1874 to the Forty-fourth Congress. Field was instrumental in organizing the Independent Greenback Party, having called the national convention at

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mari ...

on May 17, 1876. Governor

Josiah Begole Josiah Williams Begole (January 20, 1815June 5, 1896) was an American politician serving as a U.S. Representative from 1873 to 1875 and the 19th governor of Michigan from 1883 to 1885. Early life in New York Begole was born in Groveland, New ...

appointed him a trustee of the Eastern Asylum for the Insane in 1883. In 1888, Field was elected to an eight-year term as

Regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

of the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

. He died on March 14, 1889 before completing the term. At the time of his death, he lived on his farm, "Linden Lawn," in the township of Hamtramck, a suburb of Detroit. He is interred in

Woodmere Cemetery Woodmere Cemetery is at West Fort Street and Woodmere Avenue in Detroit, Michigan, in the neighborhood of Springwells Village in what was originally the township of Springwells. Woodmere Cemetery is operated by the Midwest Memorial Group. Histo ...

Personal life

On February 2, 1858, Field married Mary Kercheval. They had ten children, including Vincent Field, Alice Field and Mary Field. His family were members of the Swedenborgian Church.

References

External links

Picture of the Moses Whelock Field Home
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Field, Moses W. 1828 births 1889 deaths Politicians from Watertown, New York Detroit City Council members Regents of the University of Michigan Michigan Greenbacks People from Cayuga County, New York People from Hamtramck, Michigan Politicians from Detroit Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Michigan People from Victor, New York 19th-century American politicians