Alexander Ramsey
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| 35th United States Secretary of War | |
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| In office | |
| December 10, 1879 – March 4, 1881 | |
| Preceded by | George W. McCrary |
| Succeeded by | Robert Todd Lincoln |
| Born | September 8, 1815 Hummelstown, Pennsylvania, USA |
| Died | April 22, 1903 St. Paul, Minnesota, USA |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Anna Jenks |
Alexander Ramsey (September 8, 1815 – April 22, 1903) was an American politician. He was born near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Ramsey was elected from Pennsylvania as a Whig to the U.S. House of Representatives and served in the House from March 4, 1843 to March 3, 1847. He served as the first Territorial Governor of Minnesota June 1, 1849 to May 15, 1853 as a member of the Whig Party.
In 1855, he became the mayor of St. Paul, Minnesota. Ramsey was elected the second Governor of Minnesota after statehood and served from January 2, 1860 to July 10, 1863. Ramsey is credited with being the first Union governor to commit troops during the American Civil War (he happened to be in Washington, D.C. when fighting broke out). He resigned the governorship to become a U.S. Senator, having been elected to that post in 1863 as a Republican. He was re-elected in 1869 and served until March 3, 1875.
Ramsey served as Secretary of War from 1879 to 1881, under President Rutherford B. Hayes.
Ramsey County, Minnesota is named for him. The Minnesota Historical Society preserves his home as a museum. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1969.
Alexander Ramsey Park, located in Redwood Falls, Minnesota, is the largest municipal park in Minnesota. Ramsey County, Minnesota, and Ramsey County, North Dakota, are named for him.
[edit] References
- Army biography
- The Political Graveyard
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
| Preceded by: James Irvin |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 14th congressional district 1843 - 1847 |
Succeeded by: George Nicholas Eckert |
| Preceded by: See Iowa Territory |
1st Governor of Minnesota Territory 1849–1853 |
Succeeded by: Willis A. Gorman |
| Preceded by: Henry Hastings Sibley |
2nd Governor of Minnesota 1860–1863 |
Succeeded by: Henry Adoniram Swift |
| Preceded by: Henry Rice |
U.S. Senator (Class 1) from Minnesota 1863 – 1875 Served alongside: Morton S. Wilkinson, Daniel S. Norton, William Windom, Ozora P. Stearns |
Succeeded by: Samuel J. R. McMillan |
| Preceded by: George W. McCrary |
United States Secretary of War 1879–1881 |
Succeeded by: Robert Todd Lincoln |
| United States Secretaries of War |  |
|---|---|
| Knox • Pickering • McHenry • Dexter • Dearborn • Eustis • Armstrong • Monroe • WH Crawford • Calhoun • Barbour • PB Porter • Eaton • Cass • Poinsett • Bell • Spencer • JM Porter • Wilkins • Marcy • GW Crawford • Conrad • Davis • Floyd • Holt • Cameron • Stanton • Schofield • Rawlins • Sherman • Belknap • A Taft • Cameron • McCrary • Ramsey • Lincoln • Endicott • Proctor • Elkins • Lamont • Alger • Root • WH Taft • Wright • Dickinson • Stimson • Garrison • Baker • Weeks • Davis • Good • Hurley • Dern • Woodring • Stimson • Patterson • Royall |
| Governors of Minnesota |  |
|---|---|
| Sibley • Ramsey • Swift • Miller • Marshall • Austin • Davis • Pillsbury • Hubbard • McGill • Merriam • Nelson • Clough • Lind • Van Sant • Johnson • Eberhart • Hammond • Burnquist • Preus • Christianson • Olson • Petersen • Benson • Stassen • Thye • Youngdahl • E. Anderson • Freeman • Andersen • Rolvaag • LeVander • W. Anderson • Perpich • Quie • Perpich • Carlson • Ventura • Pawlenty |
| Mayors of Saint Paul, Minnesota |
|---|
| Potts • Kennedy • Lott • Olmsted • Ramsey • Becker • Brisbin • Kittson • Robertson • Prince • Warren • Stewart • Prince • Otis • Stewart • Maxfield • Lee • Stewart • Maxfield • Dawson • Rice • O'Brien • Rice • Smith • Wright • Smith • Doran • Kiefer • Smith • Lawler • Keller • Powers • Irvin • Hodgson • Nelson • Hodgson • Bundlie • Mahoney • Gehan • Fallon • McDonough • Delaney • Daubney • Dillon • Vavoulis • Byrne • McCarty • Cohen • Latimer • Sheibel • N. Coleman • Kelly • C. Coleman |
Categories: 1815 births | 1903 deaths | Governors of Minnesota | Mayors of Saint Paul, Minnesota | United States Secretaries of War | United States Senators from Minnesota | Members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania | People from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania | Minnesota in the Civil War
