Charles Henry Aldrich (August 28, 1850 – April 13, 1929) was an American politician who served as a

Solicitor General of the United States The solicitor general of the United States is the fourth-highest-ranking official in the United States Department of Justice. Elizabeth Prelogar has been serving in the role since October 28, 2021. The United States solicitor general represent ...

. He attended 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 ...

and received his

A.B. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

in 1875. The University also awarded Charles an honorary masters in 1893. Admitted to the bar in 1876, Aldrich established a practice in

Fort Wayne, Indiana Fort Wayne is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Indiana, United States. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 as of the 2020 Censu ...

for 10 years. He then moved to Chicago, where he maintained his practice from 1886 up until his appointment to U.S. Solicitor General. In March 1892, Aldrich was appointed Solicitor General in place of

William Howard Taft William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) was the 27th president of the United States (1909–1913) and the tenth chief justice of the United States (1921–1930), the only person to have held both offices. Taft was elected pr ...

, who had just been appointed judge of the Circuit Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. During his time as Solicitor General, Aldrich notably litigated the debated lives of United States patents, which principally involved telephone and electric light companies. He held the position until May 1893. Aldrich returned to private practice after his service in the Office of the Solicitor General. Aldrich's achievements also included his leadership in various legal organizations, including president of the Chicago Law Club, member of the

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

and

American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. Founded in 1878, the ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of aca ...

s, trustee of the Chicago Law Institute, and Vice President of the Union League Club. Aldrich was married to Helen Roberts on October 13, 1875. The couple had two children, Charles H. Aldrich, Jr. and Helen Aldrich Hare. He died on April 13, 1929 in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

, aged 78, and was interred near his hometown in

Orland, Indiana Orland is a town located in the northwest corner of Steuben County, Indiana in Millgrove Township at the intersection of State Road 120 and State Road 327. The population was 434 at the 2010 census. History Orland is recognized as the first ...

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Aldrich, Charles H. 1850 births 1929 deaths Politicians from Chicago Indiana lawyers Lawyers from Chicago United States Solicitors General University of Michigan alumni People from LaGrange County, Indiana People from Orland, Indiana People from Fort Wayne, Indiana 19th-century American lawyers