George Spalding (November 12, 1836 – September 13, 1915) was a politician from the

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Biography

Spalding was born in Blairgowrie,

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and immigrated to the

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in 1843 with his parents. The settled in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...

, where he attended the public schools. He later moved to

Monroe, Michigan Monroe is the largest city in Monroe County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The population was 20,462 at the 2020 census. The city is bordered on the south by Monroe Charter Township, but the two are administered autonomously. M ...

, and taught school in 1860 and 1861. He entered the

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on June 20, 1861, as a private in Company A, 4th Michigan Volunteer Infantry Regiment, and was promoted through the ranks to

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

of the 12th U.S. Tennessee Cavalry. In 1865, Spalding was promoted to brigadier general by brevet to commemorate his wartime service. George Spalding grave Woodland Cemetgery Monroe Michigan

George Spalding grave Woodland Cemetgery Monroe Michigan

Spalding was appointed postmaster of Monroe, July 27, 1866, and served until December 15, 1870. He was special agent of the U.S. Treasury Department, serving from 1871 to 1875. He was elected mayor of Monroe in 1876 and served as president of the board of education. He studied law and was admitted to the

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in 1878. He later became a member of the board of control of the State Industrial Home for Girls from 1885 to 1897. In 1894, he was elected as a Republican from

Michigan's 2nd congressional district Michigan's 2nd congressional district is a United States congressional district in Western Michigan. The current 2nd district contains much of Michigan's 4th congressional district, Michigan's old 4th congressional district, and includes all of ...

to the

54th United States Congress The 54th 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, 1895 ...

, and re-elected to the

55th Congress The 55th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from March 4, 1897, ...

, serving from March 4, 1895 to March 3, 1899. He was an unsuccessful candidate for re-nomination in 1898, losing to Henry C. Smith in the Republican primary elections. Spalding was again appointed postmaster of Monroe on February 20, 1899, and served until February 13, 1907. He resumed the practice of law and also engaged in agricultural pursuits. He was president of the First National Bank of Monroe until his death there. He was interred in

Woodland Cemetery A woodland cemetery is a cemetery where the original landscape, with existing trees, is given much influence on the landscape architecture of the cemetery. A woodland cemetery is designed so that the landscape is given a more prominent position, ...

References

Retrieved on 2008-02-15
The Political Graveyard
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spalding, George 1836 births 1915 deaths Burials at Woodland Cemetery (Monroe, Michigan) British emigrants to the United States Union army colonels People from Monroe, Michigan People from Blairgowrie and Rattray Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Michigan Military personnel from Michigan 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives