Chester Hardy Aldrich (November 10, 1863March 10, 1924) was an American politician. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 16th governor of Nebraska and as a justice of the

Nebraska Supreme Court The Nebraska Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Nebraska. The court consists of a chief justice and six associate justices. Each justice is initially appointed by the governor of Nebraska; using the Missouri Plan, each ...

Personal life

Aldrich was born in Pierpont in

Ashtabula County, Ohio Ashtabula County ( ) is the northeasternmost county in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 97,574. The county seat is Jefferson, while its largest city is Ashtabula. The county was created in 1808 and later organ ...

. He married Sylvia Estelle Stroman on June 4, 1889, and they had five children. He was a member of the

Methodist Episcopal Church The Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) was the oldest and largest Methodist denomination in the United States from its founding in 1784 until 1939. It was also the first religious denomination in the US to organize itself nationally. In 1939, th ...

, a

Freemason Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

and a

Knight Templar The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, mainly known as the Knights Templar, was a Military order (religious society), military order of the Catholic Church, Catholic faith, and one of the most important military ord ...

. He died in office on March 10, 1924.

Education

After he graduated from the prep school at

Hillsdale College Hillsdale College is a Private university, private, Conservatism in the United States, conservative, Christian liberal arts college in Hillsdale, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1844 by members of the Free Will Baptists. Women were admi ...

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

, Aldrich entered the

Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...

as a freshman in 1884. While at Ohio State he became a champion orator, served as an editor of ''

The Lantern ''The Lantern'' is an independent daily newspaper in Columbus, Ohio, published by students at Ohio State University. It is one of the largest campus newspapers in the United States, reaching a circulation of 15,000. Copies of the paper are fre ...

'', and in 1886 became the captain of an abortive first attempt at forming an Ohio State University football team. He graduated from Ohio State in 1888 with an A.B. In a commencement address, delivered at his university soon after he was elected governor of Nebraska, he offered his views on the topic of " Progressive Citizenship."

Political life

Aldrich settled in

Ulysses, Nebraska Ulysses is a village in Butler County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 171 at the 2010 census. History The first post office in Ulysses was established in 1869. The village is named for Ulysses S. Grant. Geography According to the ...

, where he worked as a high school principal and livestock rancher while he studied law. He passed the Nebraska Bar in 1890 and began practicing law in David City. He served as mayor of David City and was elected to the Nebraska State Senate in 1906. As a state senator, he wrote the Railway Commission Law and the Aldrich Freight Rate Law, which attacked the power of the Nebraska railroad trusts. When the laws were brought to Federal Court, Aldrich personally served as counsel for the state and the laws were sustained. In 1910, with support from Populist Democrat

William Jennings Bryan William Jennings Bryan (March 19, 1860 – July 26, 1925) was an American lawyer, orator, and politician. He was a dominant force in the History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, running three times as the party' ...

, and over opposition of the trusts, Aldrich was elected governor of Nebraska. During his tenure as governor, a co-operative association act was sanctioned; a board of control for state institutions was established; a sanitary health bill was authorized; and a road program was initiated. In 1911, Aldrich appointed a three-man commission to arrange, compile, and codify the Nebraska state statutes. Alfred M. Post became chairman of the commission, serving with Edwin L. King and John H. Broady. Aldrich served as governor until 1913. In 1918, he was elected as a justice of the

and remained in that position until his death.

References

External links

National Governors Association
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Aldrich, Chester Hardy People from Ashtabula County, Ohio Republican Party governors of Nebraska Republican Party Nebraska state senators Justices of the Nebraska Supreme Court Nebraska state court judges Hillsdale College alumni Methodists from Nebraska 1863 births 1924 deaths People from David City, Nebraska Mayors of places in Nebraska People from Butler County, Nebraska Ohio State Buckeyes football players 20th-century members of the Nebraska Legislature