Alonzo Jay Edgerton (June 7, 1827 – August 9, 1896) was a

United States senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and po ...

from

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over t ...

and a United States district judge of the

United States District Court for the District of South Dakota The United States District Court for the District of South Dakota (in case citations, D.S.D.) is the United States District Court or the Federal district court, whose jurisdiction for issues pertaining to federal law or diversity for the state of ...

Education and career

Born June 7, 1827, in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, Oneida County,

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 * '' ...

, Edgerton graduated from

Wesleyan University Wesleyan University ( ) is a private liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut. Founded in 1831 as a men's college under the auspices of the Methodist Episcopal Church and with the support of prominent residents of Middletown, the col ...

in 1850 and

read law Reading law was the method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship under t ...

in 1855. At Wesleyan, he became a member of the Mystical Seven. He was admitted to the bar and entered private practice in Mantorville,

, from 1855 to 1861. He was prosecutor for Dodge County, Minnesota. He was a member of the

Minnesota Senate The Minnesota Senate is the upper house of the Legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota. At 67 members, half as many as the Minnesota House of Representatives, it is the largest upper house of any U.S. state legislature. Floor sessions are h ...

from 1858 to 1859. In 1862, during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...

, Edgerton organized a company of militia which later constituted Company B of the Tenth Minnesota Infantry Volunteers. By January 1864, he had risen to the rank of Colonel of the

67th Regiment Infantry United States Colored Troops 67 may refer to: * 67 (number) * one of the years 67 BC, AD 67, 1967, 2067 * ''67'', a 1992 song by Love Battery from the album ''Between the Eyes'' * 67 (rap group), a drill music group from London See also * 67th Regiment (disambiguation) * 67th ...

. He was brevetted a

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointe ...

on March 13, 1865, and confirmed on April 10, 1866. He resumed private practice in Mantorville from 1867 to 1871. He was Railroad Commissioner for Minnesota from 1871 to 1874. Edgerton became a regent of the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public land-grant research university in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. ...

in 1872. He again resumed private practice in Mantorville from 1874 to 1877. He served as a member of the

Minnesota House of Representatives The Minnesota House of Representatives is the lower house of the Legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota. There are 134 members, twice as many as the Minnesota Senate. Floor sessions are held in the north wing of the State Capitol in Saint ...

and returned to private practice in Mantorville from 1878 to 1881.

Congressional service

Edgerton was appointed as a

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 ...

to the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and po ...

to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of

United States Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and po ...

William Windom and served from March 12, 1881, to October 30, 1881, during the

47th United States Congress The 47th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1881, ...

, when a successor was elected.

Later career

Following his departure from Congress, Edgerton served as a Judge of the District Court for the District of Dakota Territory from 1881 to 1885. He returned to private practice in

Mitchell Mitchell may refer to: People *Mitchell (surname) *Mitchell (given name) Places Australia * Mitchell, Australian Capital Territory, a light-industrial estate * Mitchell, New South Wales, a suburb of Bathurst * Mitchell, Northern Territ ...

Dakota Territory The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of N ...

(State of

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux Native American tribes, who comprise a large po ...

from November 2, 1889) from 1885 to 1889. He served as President of the constitutional convention of South Dakota.Jon K. Lauck, 'The Foundations of Political Culture in East River South Dakota', in ''The Plains Political Tradition: Essays on South Dakota Political Culture'' (eds. Jon K. Lauck, John E. Miller, Donald C. Simmons, Jr.), Pierre, South Dakota: South Dakota State Historical Society Press, 2011, p. 28

Federal judicial service

Edgerton received a

recess appointment In the United States, a recess appointment is an appointment by the president of a federal official when the U.S. Senate is in recess. Under the U.S. Constitution's Appointments Clause, the President is empowered to nominate, and with the a ...

from President

Benjamin Harrison Benjamin Harrison (August 20, 1833March 13, 1901) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 23rd president of the United States from 1889 to 1893. He was a member of the Harrison family of Virginia–a grandson of the ninth pr ...

on November 19, 1889, to the

, to a new seat authorized by 25 Stat. 676. He was nominated to the same position by President Harrison on December 16, 1889. He was confirmed by the

on January 16, 1890, and received his commission the same day. His service terminated on August 9, 1896, due to his death in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He was interred in Evergreen Cemetery in Mantorville.

Membership

Edgerton was a

freemason Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

Honor

The town of Edgerton, Minnesota, is named in Edgerton's honor.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Edgerton, Alonzo J. 1827 births 1896 deaths Politicians from Rome, New York People of Minnesota in the American Civil War Wesleyan University alumni Union Army colonels Republican Party Minnesota state senators Politicians from Sioux Falls, South Dakota Judges of the United States District Court for the District of South Dakota United States federal judges appointed by Benjamin Harrison 19th-century American judges Justices of the Dakota Territorial Supreme Court Republican Party United States senators from Minnesota South Dakota Republicans United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law People from Mantorville, Minnesota 19th-century American politicians