Henry Acker (June 6, 1804August 31, 1874 or 1875) was an American politician who served as a member of 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 then as a member of the

Minnesota House of Representatives The Minnesota House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the U.S. state of Minnesota's Minnesota Legislature, legislature. It operates in conjunction with the Minnesota Senate, the state's upper chamber, to write and pass legislation, whic ...

Early life

Acker was born on June 6, 1804, likely in

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 * ...

Political career

Acker served two terms in the Michigan House of Representatives, first being elected on November 5, 1838. He was then sworn in on January 7, 1839. When he was re-elected in 1840, he also served as

Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives This is a complete list of the speakers of the Michigan House of Representatives. Elected by the members of the House, the Speaker is the presiding officer of that body. In addition to duties as chair, the adopted rules of the House of Representa ...

. In 1857, Acker moved to Minnesota, where he would serve two terms in the Minnesota House of Representatives. Sometime between being elected the Michigan and Minnesota legislature, Acker switched from being a Whig to a Republican.

Personal life

Acker married a woman named Amanda, and together they had four children, one of them being Captain William H. Acker, who was killed in the

Battle of Shiloh The Battle of Shiloh, also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, was a major battle in the American Civil War fought on April 6–7, 1862. The fighting took place in southwestern Tennessee, which was part of the war's Western Theater of the ...

in 1862.

Death

Acker's death date is disputed. Some sources claim he died on August 31, 1875, but his grave at Oakland Cemetery in

Saint Paul Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the teachings of Jesus in the first-century world. For his contributions towards the New Testament, he is generally ...

Ramsey County, Minnesota Ramsey County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 552,352, making it the state's second most populous county, and was estimated to be 542,015 in 2024. Its county seat and largest city is Sai ...

claims he died on the same day in 1874.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Acker, Henry 1804 births 1870s deaths Speakers of the Michigan House of Representatives Republican Party members of the Michigan House of Representatives Members of the Minnesota House of Representatives Michigan Whigs Minnesota Republicans 19th-century members of the Michigan Legislature 19th-century members of the Minnesota Legislature