Alexander Cummings (territorial Governor)
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Alexander Cummings (November 17, 1810 – July 16, 1879) was an American newspaper publisher and Republican politician from Pennsylvania who served as the third
Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
of the
Territory of Colorado The Territory of Colorado was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from February 28, 1861, until August 1, 1876, when it was admitted to the Union as the 38th State of Colorado. The territory was organized i ...
from 1865 to 1867. He was opposed to Colorado statehood and his term was contentious and riddled with controversy between pro-state and anti-state factions. He published the Philadelphia North American, the
Philadelphia Evening Bulletin The ''Philadelphia Bulletin'' (or ''The Bulletin'' as it was commonly known) was a daily evening newspaper published from 1847 to 1982 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was the largest circulation newspaper in Philadelphia for 76 years and was ...
and the
New York World The ''New York World'' was a newspaper published in New York City from 1860 to 1931. The paper played a major role in the history of American newspapers as a leading national voice of the Democratic Party. From 1883 to 1911 under publisher Jo ...
newspapers. He worked as a special purchasing agent for the United States War Department during the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
but was removed due to
profiteering Profiteering is a pejorative term for the act of making a profit by methods considered unethical. Overview Business owners may be accused of profiteering when they raise prices during an emergency ( especially a war). The term is also applied to ...
. He recruited the Nineteenth Regiment of Pennsylvania Volunteer Cavalry and served as Colonel. He served as Superintendent of Troops of African Descent for the State of Arkansas and was brevetted Brigadier General for meritorious service. He worked as collector of internal revenue for the Fourth District of Pennsylvania and as U.S. Consul to the
Kingdom of Hawaii The Hawaiian Kingdom, also known as the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ɛ ɐwˈpuni həˈvɐjʔi, was an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country from 1795 to 1893, which eventually encompassed all of the inhabited Hawaii ...
.


Early life and newspaper publishing

Cummings was born in
Williamsport, Pennsylvania Williamsport is a city in and the county seat of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 27,754. It is the principal city of the Williamsport Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a populati ...
, on November 11, 1810. He worked as a printer and in 1845 purchased a half interest in the Philadelphia North American newspaper. In 1847, he sold his half interest and published the first issue of Cummings' Evening Telegraphic Bulletin which evolved into the
Philadelphia Evening Bulletin The ''Philadelphia Bulletin'' (or ''The Bulletin'' as it was commonly known) was a daily evening newspaper published from 1847 to 1982 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was the largest circulation newspaper in Philadelphia for 76 years and was ...
. He remained publisher of the Bulletin until 1859 and then founded the
New York World The ''New York World'' was a newspaper published in New York City from 1860 to 1931. The paper played a major role in the history of American newspapers as a leading national voice of the Democratic Party. From 1883 to 1911 under publisher Jo ...
. The World operated as a semi-religious newspaper but did not prosper under Cummings and in 1862 came under control of other owners who dropped the religious character and changed the politics from Republican to Democratic. It was through the newspaper work that Cummings became associated with
Simon Cameron Simon Cameron (March 8, 1799June 26, 1889) was an American businessman and politician who represented Pennsylvania in the United States Senate and served as United States Secretary of War under President Abraham Lincoln at the start of the Ameri ...
who would become the Secretary of War under President Lincoln during the American Civil War.


American civil war

At the beginning of the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
, Cummings used his political influence with Cameron to be appointed as a special purchasing agent for the War Department. He was assigned to expediting the defense of Washington D.C. which included arranging railroad transportation of troops and purchasing supplies. Cummings wasted much of his $2,000,000 budget on overpriced purchases that were never used by troops. He arranged for the purchase of 790 Halls carbines which the military had previously ruled as dangerous and obsolete. The U.S. government sold them for $3.50 each and Cummings purchased them back at $15 each. He also arranged the purchase of 1,670 dozen straw hats and 19,680 pairs of linen pants that were subsequently ruled out of uniform. A committee on contracts assigned by the United States House of Representatives investigated Cummings financial expenditures and were never able to account for $140,000. On April 30, 1862, the House of Representatives passed a resolution which stated: He was discharged for profiteering and his political enemies labeled him with the nickname "Old Straw Hat". After leaving the War Department, Cummings recruited the Nineteenth Regiment of Pennsylvania Volunteer Cavalry and became Colonel in October 1863. The regiment saw action in Tennessee and Mississippi in 1864 but Cummings was not in command. In February 1864, Cummings was made Superintendent of Troops of African Descent for the State of Arkansas. Cummings organized one colored battery of light artillery and five regiments of colored infantry. He was brevetted to the rank of Brigadier General by President
Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. The 16th vice president, he assumed the presidency following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a South ...
for meritorious service.


Colorado territorial governor

President Johnson appointed Cummings the new
Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
of the
Territory of Colorado The Territory of Colorado was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from February 28, 1861, until August 1, 1876, when it was admitted to the Union as the 38th State of Colorado. The territory was organized i ...
on October 17, 1865, to replace John Evans who resigned following the
Sand Creek Massacre The Sand Creek massacre (also known as the Chivington massacre, the battle of Sand Creek or the massacre of Cheyenne Indians) was a massacre of Cheyenne and Arapaho people by the U.S. Army in the American Indian Genocide that occurred on No ...
. Many of Evans' colleagues resented the forced change in leadership and opposed the new territorial Governor. Cummings was opposed to Colorado statehood and when he entered office, Colorado had already voted in favor of statehood and elected a state legislature and new governor in anticipation of a quick approval from Congress. The newly elected "state" legislature met in December 1865 and elected John Evans and Jerome B. Chaffee as U.S. Senators. Cummings publicly refuted the authority of the "state" legislature and declared that the territorial government was the only legal government in Colorado. Colorado citizens were forced to take sides between pro-state and anti-state factions and the legitimacy of Cummings' authority. President Johnson vetoed Colorado admission to statehood as the "state" constitution allowed only white males older than twenty-one the right to vote. Cummings had a bitter feud with the territorial government second in command, pro-state Secretary of the Colorado Territory,
Samuel Hitt Elbert Samuel Hitt Elbert (April 3, 1833 – November 27, 1899) was an attorney in the Nebraska Territory before settling in the Colorado Territory. He served as the second Secretary of the Territory of Colorado from 1862 to 1866 and he served as the ...
. Cummings was not satisfied with the quality and location of the territorial offices and accused Elbert of deliberatively selecting them to inconvenience him and the territorial government. Cummings selected a better office and when he moved, took the Great Seal of the Territory which was used to affix public documents. Elbert demanded the return of the seal since it was his official duty to use the seal. Cummings accused Elbert of attempting to use the seal to illegally reverse the 1864 vote to reject Colorado statehood and break up the territorial government. Pro statehood newspapers such as the
Rocky Mountain News The ''Rocky Mountain News'' (nicknamed the ''Rocky'') was a daily newspaper published in Denver, Colorado, from April 23, 1859, until February 27, 2009. It was owned by the E. W. Scripps Company from 1926 until its closing. the Monday–Friday ...
took up Elbert's cause and published negative stories about Cummings including his past record with the War Department. The feud escalated to Cummings' superior, U.S. Secretary of State
William H. Seward William Henry Seward (; May 16, 1801 – October 10, 1872) was an American politician who served as United States Secretary of State from 1861 to 1869, and earlier served as governor of New York and as a United States senator. A determined opp ...
and prompted the resignation of Elbert. Cummings encouraged investment in mining and the development of railroads. In the 1866 election for territorial delegate to Congress, Cummings backed Alexander Cameron Hunt, an anti-statehood candidate over George Chilcott. The election was marked with scandal when votes were illegally counted in Chilcott's favor. The Territorial Canvassing Board declared Chilcott the winner while Cummings called the election for Hunt. The issue was escalated to the House Committee on Elections and Chilcott was sworn in as a "sitting delegate". Another bill for Colorado statehood was entered into the Congress in December 1866 and was debated in January 1867. The Congress was going to reject the bill as it still did not allow African Americans the right to vote. Congress passed the bill when the bill was re-written allowing the right to vote to African Americans but it was again vetoed by President Johnson claiming that controversial census results did not meet the requirement for congressional representation and a state legislature resolution rejected statehood. In January 1867, the Colorado territorial legislature passed a law forbidding African Americans from serving on juries. Cummings vetoed the bill but the legislature overrode the veto. Cummings political enemies launched a campaign to discredit him and accused him of paying his daughter for work not performed and for grossly overpaying for the shipment of goods for the Department of Indian Affairs. Cummings resigned as territorial governor on April 27, 1867 upon learning that
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...
Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. The 16th vice president, he assumed the presidency following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a South ...
had appointed Hunt to succeed him. Cummings was appointed collector of internal revenue for the Fourth District of Pennsylvania by President Johnson. He was nominated for Commissioner of Internal Revenue but was not confirmed by the Senate. The end of President Johnson's term in 1869 briefly ended Cummings political connections. He may have studied law and published a revised version of a law book where he refers to himself as a "Counsellor of Law". With the election of
Rutherford B. Hayes Rutherford Birchard Hayes (; October 4, 1822 – January 17, 1893) was the 19th president of the United States, serving from 1877 to 1881. Hayes served as Cincinnati's city solicitor from 1858 to 1861. He was a staunch Abolitionism in the Un ...
to the presidency, Cummings was appointed as U.S. Consul to the
Kingdom of Hawaii The Hawaiian Kingdom, also known as the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ɛ ɐwˈpuni həˈvɐjʔi, was an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country from 1795 to 1893, which eventually encompassed all of the inhabited Hawaii ...
. Cummings died in
Ottawa, Ontario Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...
, Canada, in 1879 while conducting consular activities and was interred in an unmarked grave in
Laurel Hill Cemetery Laurel Hill Cemetery, also called Laurel Hill East to distinguish it from the affiliated West Laurel Hill Cemetery in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, Bala Cynwyd, is a historic rural cemetery in the East Falls, Philadelphia, East Falls neighborhood ...
in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
. A simple governmental issue tombstone currently marks his grave.


See also

*
History of Colorado The region that is today the U.S. state of Colorado has been inhabited by Native Americans and their Paleoamerican ancestors for at least 13,500 years and possibly more than 37,000 years. The eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains was a major mi ...
* Law and Government of Colorado


External links


Library of Congress - Reply to Governor Cummings letter in the Press of November 8


Citations


Sources

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cummings, Alexander 1810 births 1879 deaths 19th-century American newspaper publishers (people) 19th-century Colorado politicians Ambassadors of the United States to Hawaii Burials at Laurel Hill Cemetery (Philadelphia) Colorado Republicans Governors of Colorado Territory Politicians from Williamsport, Pennsylvania People of Pennsylvania in the American Civil War Union army colonels