Alonzo Sessions (August 4, 1810 – July 3, 1886) was an American politician from the

U. S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sov ...

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, ...

Biography

Sessions was born to Amasa and Pheobe (Smith) Sessions in

Marcellus, New York Marcellus is a town in Onondaga County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 6,066. The town was probably named after Marcus Claudius Marcellus, a Roman general, by a clerk interested in the Classics. The Marcellus ...

acquired and early education and taught school. In 1831 he moved to

Bennington Bennington is a New England town, town in Bennington County, Vermont, United States. It is one of two shire towns (county seats) of the county, the other being Manchester (town), Vermont, Manchester. As of the 2020 United States Census, US Cens ...

and worked in a store as a clerk for two years receiving $10 a month and

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. In 1833, Sessions left New York and traveled to Michigan mostly on foot. After traveling all over Michigan, he wound up in

White Pigeon White Pigeon is a village in St. Joseph County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,718 at the 2020 census. The village is located within White Pigeon Township. Its also located along Michigan's border with Indiana. Geography A ...

where the U. S. land office was and entered his land. The next winter he taught school in

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Dayton metro ...

until 1835 when he bought a team and came through his land on the south side of the Grand River. He also built the first log cabin in the Township of Berlin and managed an farm. In 1837 he married Celia Dexter and had thirteen children together. He served as the first supervisor of Berlin; first chairman of the board of supervisors for Ionia County; justice of the peace for eight years; and sheriff from 1841-42. In 1856, Sessions was elected as a Republican from Ionia County (2nd district) to the

Michigan House of Representatives The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower house of the Michigan Legislature. There are 110 members, each of whom is elected from constituencies having approximately 77,000 to 91,000 residents, based on population figures from the 2020 ...

and served from 1857-62. He co-founded and served as director and president of the First National Bank of Ionia. In 1872 he served as a

Presidential Elector In the United States, the Electoral College is the group of presidential electors that is formed every four years for the sole purpose of voting for the president and vice president in the presidential election. This process is described in ...

for Michigan casting his vote for incumbent U. S. President

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was the 18th president of the United States, serving from 1869 to 1877. In 1865, as Commanding General of the United States Army, commanding general, Grant led the Uni ...

. In 1876 and 1878, Sessions was elected as the 21st lieutenant governor of Michigan and served under

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 ...

Charles Croswell from 1877–1881. Sessions was also a member of The Grange. He died five years after leaving office.

References

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The Political Graveyard
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sessions, Alonzo 1810 births 1886 deaths Republican Party members of the Michigan House of Representatives Lieutenant governors of Michigan Michigan sheriffs People from Marcellus, New York People from Ionia County, Michigan 19th-century members of the Michigan Legislature