Alexander Barkley (May 4, 1817 Argyle,

Washington County, New York Washington County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 61,302. The county seat is Fort Edward. The county was named for U.S. President George Washington. Washington County is part of the Glen ...

- January 2, 1893 Argyle, Washington County, NY) was an American politician from

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 * '' ...

Life

He was the son of James Barkley (1789–1843) and Margaret (MacDougall) Barkley (1795–1857). In 1861, he was appointed Superintendent of Canal Repairs for Sections 1 and 2 of the

Champlain Canal The Champlain Canal is a canal in New York that connects the Hudson River to the south end of Lake Champlain. It was simultaneously constructed with the Erie Canal for use by commercial vessels, fully opening in 1823. Today, it is mostly used b ...

. He was a member of the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Ass ...

(Washington Co., 1st D.) in

1865 Events January–March * January 4 – The New York Stock Exchange opens its first permanent headquarters at 10-12 Broad near Wall Street, in New York City. * January 13 – American Civil War : Second Battle of Fort Fisher ...

and

1866 Events January–March * January 1 ** Fisk University, a historically black university, is established in Nashville, Tennessee. ** The last issue of the abolitionist magazine '' The Liberator'' is published. * January 6 – Ottoman t ...

. At the New York state election, 1868, he ran for

Canal Commissioner The Commission to Explore a Route for a Canal to Lake Erie and Report, known as the Erie Canal Commission, was a body created by the New York State Legislature in 1810 to plan the Erie Canal. In 1817 a ''Canal Fund'' led by ''Commissioners of the C ...

on the

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 ...

ticket but was defeated by Democrat Oliver Bascom. At the

New York state election, 1870 The 1870 New York state election was held on November 8, 1870, to elect the governor, the lieutenant governor, the New York State Comptroller, two Canal Commissioners and an Inspector of State Prisons, as well as all members of the New York Sta ...

, he ran again but was again defeated, this time by the incumbent Democrat George W. Chapman. At the

New York state election, 1871 The 1871 New York state election was held on November 7, 1871, to elect the Secretary of State, the State Comptroller, the Attorney General, the State Treasurer, the State Engineer, a Canal Commissioner and an Inspector of State Prisons, as we ...

, he ran again and was elected, being in office from 1872 to 1874. At the New York state election, 1874, he was defeated for re-election by Democrat Adin Thayer. During the investigation of the

Canal Ring A canal ring is the name given to a series of canals that make a complete loop. Etymology There have been canals which formed a ring for more than 200 years, but the term was unknown before the 1960s, when the Inland Waterways Association coine ...

, Barkley was indicted by a

grand jury A grand jury is a jury—a group of citizens—empowered by law to conduct legal proceedings, investigate potential criminal conduct, and determine whether criminal charges should be brought. A grand jury may subpoena physical evidence or a p ...

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 Sou ...

for

conspiracy A conspiracy, also known as a plot, is a secret plan or agreement between persons (called conspirers or conspirators) for an unlawful or harmful purpose, such as murder or treason, especially with political motivation, while keeping their agr ...

. He was buried at the Prospect Hill Cemetery in Argyle, NY.

Sources

Barkley genealogy at RootsWeb
''Annual Report of the Canal Commissioners''
(1862) ives name as "Barckley"br>''THE STATE TICKET''
in NYT on July 11, 1868
''THE NOVEMBER ELECTION''
in NYT on October 30, 1870
''THE CANAL FRAUDS''
in NYT on October 3, 1875
births
1893_deaths.html" ;"title="1817" target="_blank" class="mw-redirect" title="births">births
1893 deaths">1817" target="_blank" class="mw-redirect" title="births">births
1893 deaths People from Argyle, New York Erie Canal Commissioners New York (state) Republicans {{NewYork-politician-stub