Alexander Warner (January 10, 1827 – September 6, 1914) was an American Union Army officer, banker, planter, and Republican politician. He was the 15th

Secretary of State of Mississippi The Mississippi secretary of state is an officer of Mississippi originally established under the Article IV, §14 of Mississippi Constitution of 1817, and was reestablished under Article V, §133 of the Mississippi Constitution of 1890. Several ...

, the 44th State Treasurer of Connecticut, and a member of the

Kansas House of Representatives The Kansas House of Representatives is the lower house of the legislature of the U.S. state of Kansas. Composed of 125 state representatives from districts with roughly equal populations of at least 19,000, its members are responsible for craftin ...

Biography

Alexander Warner was born on January 10, 1827, in

Smithfield, Rhode Island Smithfield is a town in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 22,118 at the 2020 census. Incorporated in 1731, it includes the historic villages of Esmond, Georgiaville, Mountaindale, Spragueville, Stillwater, an ...

. He was the son of Thomas Warner and Amy (Collins) Warner. His family moved to

Woodstock, Connecticut Woodstock is a New England town, town in Windham County, Connecticut, Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut, Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region. The populat ...

, in 1834. He attended

Woodstock Academy Woodstock Academy (WA), founded in 1801, is a high school located in Woodstock, Connecticut, United States. The Academy, which describes itself as an independent school, serves residents from the Connecticut towns of Brooklyn, Canterbury, Eastf ...

in Woodstock and Wesleyan Academy in

Wilbraham, Massachusetts Wilbraham is a town in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. It is a suburb of the City of Springfield, and part of the Springfield Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 14,613 at the 2020 census. Part of the town comprise ...

. He then worked as a cotton twine manufacturer, owning and managing a cotton twine manufacturing factory.

Military career

Warner was one of the first people to enlist in 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 ...

. He was appointed major of the 3rd Infantry of Connecticut Volunteers on May 14, 1861. On July 21 of that year, he and his unit fought in the 1st Battle of Bull Run. The 3rd Infantry was mustered out on August 12, 1861. On January 15, 1862, Warner was appointed lieutenant colonel of the 13th Connecticut Infantry Regiment and sent to

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

. After the Union

capture of New Orleans Capture may refer to: Arts and entertainment * "Capture", a song by Simon Townshend * Capture (band), an Australian electronicore band previously known as Capture the Crown * ''Capture'' (TV series), a reality show Television episodes * "Chapter ...

, the unit's colonel,

Henry Birge Henry Warner Birge (August 25, 1825 – June 1, 1888) was a Union Army general during the American Civil War. Biography Birge was born in Hartford, Connecticut. At the opening of the American Civil War, Civil War Birge organized the first state ...

, was made a brigadier general and Warner was promoted to colonel of the unit. He then fought in the Battle of Georgia Landing, the

Battle of Irish Bend The Battle of Irish Bend, also known as Nerson's Woods or Franklin, took place during the American Civil War. It was fought between Union Major General Nathaniel Prentice Banks against Confederate Major General Richard Taylor during Banks' ...

, and the

Siege of Port Hudson The siege of Port Hudson (May 22 – July 9, 1863) was the final engagement in the Union (American Civil War), Union campaign to recapture the Mississippi River in the American Civil War. While Union General Ulysses S. Grant, Ulysses Grant was S ...

. He then temporarily resigned due to ill health. After returning to service, he raised the 5th Louisiana Infantry Regiment for defending the Union-controlled

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

. He did this until resigning due to ill health on August 12, 1863. After the war, he bought a large

plantation Plantations are farms specializing in cash crops, usually mainly planting a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. Plantations, centered on a plantation house, grow crops including cotton, cannabis, tob ...

Madison County, Mississippi Madison County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 109,145. The county seat is Canton. The county is named for Founding Father and U.S. President James Madison. Madison County is pa ...

, where he employed

freedmen A freedman or freedwoman is a person who has been released from slavery, usually by legal means. Historically, slaves were freed by manumission (granted freedom by their owners), emancipation (granted freedom as part of a larger group), or self- ...

and gave them monetary wages.

Political career

Mississippi

In June 1865, he was appointed

by the military. He served in this position until his removal on August 12, 1865. From 1870 to 1876, he represented the state's 12th district ( Madison County) in the

Mississippi Senate The Mississippi State Senate is the upper house of the Mississippi Legislature, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Mississippi. The Senate, along with the Lower house, lower Mississippi House of Represen ...

. For part of that time, he was also its President Pro Tempore. In 1876, he was a commissioner from

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

to the

Centennial Exposition The Centennial International Exhibition, officially the International Exhibition of Arts, Manufactures, and Products of the Soil and Mine, was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from May 10 to November 10, 1876. It was the first official wo ...

Connecticut

Warner moved to

Pomfret, Connecticut Pomfret is a town in Windham County, Connecticut with a population of 4,266 according to the 2020 United States Census. The town is part of the Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region. It was incorporated in 1713 and was named after Pontefract ...

, in 1877, buying a farm there called "Woodlawn". He was elected to be the 44th State Treasurer of Connecticut, serving from 1887 to 1889. In Connecticut, he was also a member of its State Board of Agriculture. During this time, he was a commissioner from

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

to the Centennial celebration in

Philadelphia 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 ...

(1887),

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

Centennial (1888), and the

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

Centennial (1889).

Kansas

In 1890, Warner moved to

Baxter Springs, Kansas Baxter Springs is a city in Cherokee County, Kansas, United States, and located along Spring River. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 3,888. History Indigenous settlement For thousands of years, indigenous peoples ...

. While there, he was the president of the Baxter Bank. In 1892, he was elected to the

, representing the state's 25th district. He assumed the position on January 20, 1893. He was re-elected and also served from 1895 to 1897. In 1896, he ran as a Republican for the position of

Lieutenant Governor of Kansas The lieutenant governor of Kansas is the second-ranking member of the executive branch of Kansas state government. The lieutenant governor is elected on a ticket with the governor for a four-year term. The lieutenant governor succeeds to the o ...

Later life

After his wife died in 1902, Warner moved to his son's house in

Point Pleasant, New Jersey Point Pleasant is a Borough (New Jersey), borough situated on the Jersey Shore, in northern Ocean County, New Jersey, Ocean County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 18,941, an i ...

, where he spent the rest of his life. Warner died after a two-week illness in

, on September 6, 1914. He was buried at Woodstock Hill Cemetery in Woodstock, Connecticut.

Personal life

Warner married Mary Trumbull Mathewson (1834–1902) on September 27, 1855. Mathewson was the great-granddaughter of

Declaration of Independence A declaration of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another state or failed state, or are breaka ...

signer William Williams. Together, they had two children: Benjamin Silliman Warner, born September 24, 1856, and Arthur McClellan Warner, who was born on April 13, 1860, and died in his childhood.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Warner, Alexander 1827 births 1914 deaths Secretaries of state of Mississippi Republican Party Mississippi state senators Republican Party members of the Kansas House of Representatives State treasurers of Connecticut Connecticut Republicans People from Smithfield, Rhode Island Politicians from Providence County, Rhode Island People from Woodstock, Connecticut People of Connecticut in the American Civil War Union army colonels 19th-century members of the Kansas Legislature 19th-century members of the Mississippi Legislature