Alexander Cummings Downey (September 10, 1817 – March 26, 1898)Leander J. Monks, ''Courts and lawyers of Indiana, Vol. 1'' (1916), p. 258. was a justice of the

Indiana Supreme Court The Indiana Supreme Court, established by Article 7 of the Indiana Constitution, is the highest judicial authority in the state of Indiana. Located in Indianapolis, the Court's chambers are in the north wing of the Indiana Statehouse. In Dec ...

from January 3, 1871, to January 1, 1877.

Early life and education

Born in

Hamilton County, Ohio Hamilton County is located in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 830,639, making it the List of counties in Ohio, third-most populous county in Ohio. The coun ...

,"Death of Judge Downey", ''Logansport Reporter'' (March 26, 1898), p. 4. to John and Susannah (Selwood) Downey, in 1818 the family moved to

Dearborn County, Indiana Dearborn County is one of 92 counties of the U.S. state of Indiana. Located on the Ohio border near the southeast corner of the state, Dearborn County was formed in 1803 from a portion of Hamilton County, Ohio. In 2020, the population was 50,6 ...

, where Downey received a common school education, finishing his schooling at the County Seminary of Wilmington, Indiana.Minde C. Browning, Richard Humphrey, and Bruce Kleinschmidt,
Biographical Sketches of Indiana Supreme Court Justices
, ''

Indiana Law Review Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law (IU McKinney) is the law school of Indiana University Indianapolis, a public research university in Indianapolis, Indiana. The school has been based in Lawrence W. Inlow Hall in Indianapolis ...

'', Vol. 30, No. 1 (1997), section reproduced i
Indiana Courts Justice Biographies page on Alexander Downey
He studied law with James T. Brown and gained

admission to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1841. In 1844 he moved to

Rising Sun, Indiana Rising Sun is a city in Randolph Township, Ohio County, Indiana, Randolph Township and the county seat of Ohio County, Indiana, Ohio County, Indiana, United States, along the Ohio River. It is also the only incorporated community in the county. ...

, which he maintained as his home for the rest of his life.

Career

In 1850 was appointed Circuit Judge by Governor Joseph A. Wright. He was elected to the office in 1851 and re-elected in 1852 under the new Constitution, serving until August 1858. He then resigned to engage in practice. From 1854 to 1858 he also established and conducted the law department of Asbury University which later became

DePauw University DePauw University ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Greencastle, Indiana, United States. It was founded in 1837 as Indiana Asbury College and changed its name to DePauw University in 1884. The college has a Methodist heritage and was ...

. He was a member of the

Indiana State Senate The Indiana State Senate is the upper house of the Indiana General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Indiana. The Senate is composed of 50 members representing an equal number of constituent districts. Senators serve four-yea ...

from 1863 to 1865. In 1870 he was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

to a seat on the Supreme court of Indiana."Death of Judge Alexander C. Downey", ''The Jasper Weekly Courier'' (April 1, 1898), p. 4. At one point in 1871 Downey was briefly discussed as a possible vice presidential candidate for prospective presidential candidate

John T. Hoffman John Thompson Hoffman (January 10, 1828March 24, 1888) was the 23rd governor of New York (1869–72). He was also recorder of New York City (1861–65) and the 78th mayor of New York City (1866–68). Connections to the Tweed Ring ...

, then Governor of New York, who sought "a prominent Western man" to balance the ticket and counter the candidacy of Indiana senator

Thomas A. Hendricks Thomas Andrews Hendricks (September 7, 1819 – November 25, 1885) was an American politician and lawyer from Indiana who served as the 16th governor of Indiana from 1873 to 1877 and the 21st vice president of the United States from March until ...

."Political", ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

'' (February 1, 1871), p. 2. Downey declined renomination to the court in 1877 and returned to active practice. He served for a time as president of the Asbury University board of trustees. He had the degree of Doctor of Laws conferred on him in 1858 by Asbury University, and the same in 1871 by Indiana University.

Personal life and death

On April 19, 1846, Downey married Sophia J. Tapley, with whom he had eight children. Downey died at his home in Rising Sun, from

apoplexy Apoplexy () refers to the rupture of an internal organ and the associated symptoms. Informally or metaphorically, the term ''apoplexy'' is associated with being furious, especially as "apoplectic". Historically, it described what is now known as a ...

, at the age 80.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Downey, Alexander 1817 births 1898 deaths People from Hamilton County, Ohio U.S. state supreme court judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law Democratic Party Indiana state senators Justices of the Indiana Supreme Court DePauw University faculty Deans of law schools in the United States