Carlos E. Dexter, Jr. (c. 1842 – May 7, 1919) was an American civil servant who served a Chief Usher of the White House in Washington, D.C., from March 1893 to December 1895.

Life and career

He was born in Three Rivers, Michigan, about 1842. He grew up in Monterey and Heath, Michigan. He served in the American Civil War as a soldier in Company G of the

6th Michigan Volunteer Infantry Regiment The 6th Michigan Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The unit fought at Battle of Baton Rouge (1862), Baton Rouge and Siege of Port Hudson, Port Hudson before being converted into ...

, but was discharged on June 6, 1863, after being severely wounded. Although his rank at the time of his discharge is not known, he probably remained in the Michigan reserves. Press reports later in life listed his final rank as captain. He married Adelia Dexter, and had several children, including daughters Birdie, Adelia (or "Addie"), and Maude and sons Carlos, Jr., George, and Paul. In 1880 he was working as a sash and door manufacturer in Three Rivers. From 1882 to 1886, Dexter served as

sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

St. Joseph County, Michigan St. Joseph County is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan, on the central southern border with Indiana. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 60,939. The county seat is Centreville. French colonists in the late 17 ...

. In January 1888, United States Postmaster General

Donald M. Dickinson Donald McDonald Dickinson (January 17, 1846 – October 15, 1917) was a lawyer and politician from the U.S. state of Michigan. Biography Dickinson was born in The town of Richland, Oswego County, New York, on January 17, 1846, the son of Asa C ...

appointed Dexter to the position of postal inspector. He remained in this post until his resignation in August 1889. In late March 1890 was appointed town marshal of the city of Three Rivers, Michigan. At some point after 1890, Dexter became an inspector for the United States Post Office Department in Washington, D.C. The

patronage Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings, popes, and the wealthy have provided to artists su ...

position was obtained from him by

Henry T. Thurber Henry Thomas Thurber (April 28, 1854 – March 17, 1904) was an American attorney. Thurber was born in Monroe, Michigan, on April 28, 1854, the son of Jefferson Gage Thurber and Mary Bartlett Gerrish Thurber. He graduated from the University of Mic ...

, private secretary to President Grover Cleveland, and Postmaster General Dickinson. Dexter was appointed chief usher of the White House on March 20, 1893. His tenure there was exceptionally brief, lasting until his resignation on December 3, 1895. Dexter's resignation was prompted by his reappointment as a postal inspector. Dexter moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where in January 1896 he broke a postal fraud ring involving the United States Merchant Marine. He later served as a postal inspector in Greensboro, North Carolina. In 1899 he was transferred from Greensboro to New York City. Little is known of his later life or career. It is certain he was still alive in October 1918. Carlos died in 1919 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and was buried in Riverside Cemetery, Three Rivers, Michigan.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dexter, Carlos E. 1840s births 1919 deaths White House Chief Ushers Cleveland administration personnel People from Three Rivers, Michigan