John Bassett Alley (January 7, 1817 – January 19, 1896) was a businessman and politician who served as 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

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

Early life

John Alley was born on January 7, 1817, in

Lynn, Massachusetts Lynn is the eighth-largest municipality in Massachusetts and the largest city in Essex County. Situated on the Atlantic Ocean, north of the Boston city line at Suffolk Downs, Lynn is part of Greater Boston's urban inner core. Settled by E ...

. He attended the common schools and

Phillips Academy ("Not for Self") la, Finis Origine Pendet ("The End Depends Upon the Beginning") Youth From Every Quarter Knowledge and Goodness , address = 180 Main Street , city = Andover , state = Ma ...

Andover. At the age of fourteen, he was apprenticed to work for a shoemaker and was released at nineteen. In 1832, his parents, John Sr. and Mercy (née Buffum), and his younger sister Sarah joined the

Church of Christ Church of Christ may refer to: Church groups * When used in the plural, a New Testament designation for local groups of people following the teachings of Jesus Christ: "...all the churches of Christ greet you", Romans 16:16. * The entire body of Ch ...

in 1832, later renamed the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. They moved to

Nauvoo, Illinois Nauvoo ( ; from the ) is a small city in Hancock County, Illinois, United States, on the Mississippi River near Fort Madison, Iowa. The population of Nauvoo was 950 at the 2020 census. Nauvoo attracts visitors for its historic importance and its ...

, where Sarah was one of the first women to marry polygamously and became the first Mormon woman to bear a child as a polygamist. In 1836, Alley moved to

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

and took a job freighting merchandise up and down the Mississippi River. In 1838, he returned to Lynn and entered the shoe manufacturing business. He established a hide and leather house in Boston in 1847.

Political career

Alley served as a member of the

Massachusetts Governor's Council The Massachusetts Governor's Council (also known as the Executive Council) is a governmental body that provides advice and consent in certain matterssuch as judicial nominations, pardons, and commutationsto the Governor of Massachusetts. Council ...

from 1847 to 1851. In 1850, he served as member of the first Board of Aldermen of Lynn. He represented Lynn in the State Senate in 1852 and as a member of the

Massachusetts Constitutional Convention of 1853 The Massachusetts Constitutional Convention of 1853 met from May 4 to August 2 in order to consider changes to the Massachusetts Constitution. This was the third such convention in Massachusetts history, following the original constitutional conve ...

United States Congress

In 1852, Alley was
Free Soil candidate
for U.S. Representative, but lost. He joined the new Republican Party and was elected to the Thirty-sixth and to the three succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1859 – March 3, 1867). He served as chairman of the Committee on the Post Office and Post Roads ( Thirty-eighth and Thirty-ninth Congresses). He was not a candidate for renomination in 1866. He became connected with the Union Pacific Railroad.

Later life and death

During the 1880s and 1890s, Alley was involved in a protracted lawsuit known as the Snow-Alley case which damaged his health and cost him a large part of his fortune. He abandoned active business pursuits in 1886 and died in

West Newton, Massachusetts West Newton is one of the thirteen villages within the city of Newton in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. Among the oldest of the thirteen Newton villages, the West Newton Village Center is a National Register Historic District. ...

on January 19, 1896. He was interred in Pine Grove Cemetery,

References

Bibliography

* *Barstow, Benjamin:
Speech of Benjamin Barstow
of Salem'', page 6, (1853).
''History of Essex County, Massachusetts: With Biographical Sketches of Many of Its Pioneers and Prominent Men''
pages 360–361, (1888). *Hobbs, Clarence W.:
Lynn and Surroundings
', page 139, (1886). *Johnson, David Newhall:
Sketches of Lynn, Or, The Changes of Fifty Years
', pages 468–471, (1880). {{DEFAULTSORT:Alley, John Bassett 1817 births 1896 deaths Republican Party Massachusetts state senators Massachusetts Libertyites Massachusetts Free Soilers Politicians from Lynn, Massachusetts Businesspeople from Massachusetts Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts 19th-century American politicians Massachusetts Republican Party chairs 19th-century American businesspeople