Alexander Ramsey
| Alexander Ramsey | |
|---|---|
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| 34th United States Secretary of War | |
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In office December 10, 1879 – March 5, 1881 |
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| President |
Rutherford B. Hayes James A. Garfield |
| Preceded by | George W. McCrary |
| Succeeded by | Robert Todd Lincoln |
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United States Senator from Minnesota |
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In office March 4, 1863 – March 3, 1875 |
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| Preceded by | Henry M. Rice |
| Succeeded by | Samuel J. R. McMillan |
| 2nd Governor of Minnesota | |
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In office January 2, 1860 – July 10, 1863 |
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| Lieutenant | Ignatius L. Donnelly |
| Preceded by | Henry Hastings Sibley |
| Succeeded by | Henry Adoniram Swift |
| 1st Governor of Minnesota Territory | |
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In office June 1, 1849 – May 15, 1853 |
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| Appointed by | Zachary Taylor |
| Preceded by | Territory created |
| Succeeded by | Willis A. Gorman |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 14th district |
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In office March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1847 |
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| Preceded by | James Irvin |
| Succeeded by | George N. Eckert |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
September 8, 1815 Hummelstown, Pennsylvania |
| Died | April 22, 1903 (aged 87) St. Paul, Minnesota |
| Political party | Whig, Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Anna Jenks |
| Alma mater | Lafayette College |
| Profession | Politician, Lawyer |
| Religion | Methodism |
Alexander Ramsey (September 8, 1815 – April 22, 1903) was an American politician. He served as a Whig and Republican over a variety of offices between the 1840s and the 1880s.
Born in Hummelstown, Pennsylvania on September 8, 1815, Alexander was the eldest of five children of Thomas Ramsey and Elizabeth Kelker (also Kölliker or Köllker). His father was a blacksmith who committed suicide at age 42 when he went bankrupt in 1826, after signing for a note of a friend. Alexander lived with his uncle in Harrisburg, after his family split up to live with relatives. His brother was Justus Cornelius Ramsey, who served in the Minnesota Territorial Legislature.
Ramsey first studied carpentry at Lafayette College but left during his third year. He read law with Hamilton Altrick, and received a bachelor's of law degree from the Dickinson School of Law in 1839. He was admitted to the Pennsylvania bar in 1839.
In 1844 Ramsey married Anna Earl Jenks and they had three children. Only one daughter, Marion, survived past childhood.
Alexander Ramsey was elected from Pennsylvania as a Whig to the U.S. House of Representatives and served in the 28th and 29th congresses from March 4, 1843 to March 3, 1847. He served as the first Territorial Governor of Minnesota from June 1, 1849 to May 15, 1853 as a member of the Whig Party.
Ramsey was of Scottish and German ancestry. 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. When he heard about the firing on Ft. Sumter he went straight to the White House and offered Minnesota's services to Abraham Lincoln). 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 held the office until March 3, 1875, serving in the 38th, 39th, 40th, 41st, 42nd, and 43rd congresses.
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