William Farrington Aldrich (March 11, 1853 – October 30, 1925) was an American politician and 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 ...

from

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...

. He was brother of Truman Heminway Aldrich and great-great-grandfather of William J. Edwards.

Biography

Aldrich was born in Palmyra, New York on March 11, 1853, he was the son of William Farrington and Louisa Maria (Klapp) Aldrich. He attended public schools, and moved with his father to New York City in 1865, where he attended several schools and graduated from Warren's

Military Academy A military academy or service academy is an educational institution which prepares candidates for service in the officer corps. It normally provides education in a military environment, the exact definition depending on the country concerned. ...

Poughkeepsie, New York Poughkeepsie ( ), officially the City of Poughkeepsie, separate from the Town of Poughkeepsie around it) is a city in the U.S. state of New York. It is the county seat of Dutchess County, with a 2020 census population of 31,577. Poughkeepsi ...

, in 1873. Aldrich moved to Alabama in 1874. He leased the coal mines in Aldrich from his brother Truman, who was prospecting for new coal seams in the area. He was married on April 16, 1889, to writer and editor Josephine Cables, who died in 1917. He married Fannie Spire on July 15, 1920.

Career

Aldrich 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 ...

to the Fifty-fourth Congress, defeating

Gaston A. Robbins Gaston Ahi Robbins (September 26, 1858 – February 22, 1902) was a United States House of Representatives, U.S. Representative from Alabama. Born in Goldsboro, North Carolina, Robbins moved to Randolph County, North Carolina. He attended Tr ...

; to attend the Fifty-fifth Congress, defeating

Thomas S. Plowman Thomas Scales Plowman (June 8, 1843 – July 26, 1919) was a U.S. Representative from Alabama. Born in Talladega, Alabama, Plowman attended common schools, joining the Confederate States Army in May 1862 as a member of Company F, Fifty-first ...

; to attend the Fifty-sixth Congress, again defeating Robbins. He served from March 13, 1896, to March 3, 1901. Declining to run for reelection in 1900, Aldrich was involved in mining and manufacturing and built up the town that bears his name. He was editor, owner and publisher of the Birmingham (Alabama) Times. He was a delegate to the Republican National Convention at Chicago in 1904. He engaged in the development of mineral lands until his death.

Death

Aldrich died in

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fr ...

, October 30, 1925 (age 72 years, 233 days). He was cremated and his ashes are

interred Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...

in the family vault located in

Rock Creek Cemetery Rock Creek Cemetery is an cemetery with a natural and rolling landscape located at Rock Creek Church Road, NW, and Webster Street, NW, off Hawaii Avenue, NE, in the Petworth neighborhood of Washington, D.C., United States. It is across the stre ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

William F. Aldrich was the last Republican to represent Alabama in Congress until 1965.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Aldrich, William Farrington 1853 births 1925 deaths People from Palmyra, New York Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Alabama Politicians from Birmingham, Alabama Editors of Alabama newspapers Burials at Rock Creek Cemetery