Alexander St. Clair-Abrams
| Alexander H. St. Clair-Abrams | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Florida Senate from the 23rd district |
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In office April 5, 1893 – 1893 |
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| Preceded by | Dalton H. Yancey |
| Succeeded by | Benjamin E. McLin |
| Mayor of Tavares, Florida | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 10, 1845 New Orleans, Louisiana |
| Died | 1931 Jacksonville, Florida |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Joanna |
| Children | Alfred St. Clair-Abrams |
| Occupation | Attorney and newspaper editor |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Confederate States of America |
| Years of service | 1861–September, 1862 (CSA) |
| Rank | Major (CSA) |
| Battles/wars |
Siege of Vicksburg American Civil War |
Alexander H. St. Clair-Abrams (March 10, 1845–1931) was an attorney, politician, and writer who owned newspapers and railroads in the Southern United States and also published under the names A.S. Abrams and A. Sinclair Abrams.
Born in New Orleans, he was known as a "volcanic Creole". During the American Civil War, he served in Company A. Withers' Light Artillery (in Carter L. Stevenson's division), as a Private at the Siege of Vicksburg. In September, 1862 he was discharged from the army on account of sickness and being unable to return to his home, New Orleans, obtained a position in the office of the Vicksburg Whig where he remained until its destruction by fire in the early part of May 1863, and was taken prisoner and paroled after the surrender when he moved on briefly to Mobile, Alabama, then to Atlanta where he quickly settled. At first in Atlanta he was associated with Jared Whitaker's Daily Intelligencer and using their presses published in late 1863 an eighty-page description of Vicksburg's capture and then a novel called The Trials of the Soldier's Wife. In 1864, he again soldiered to protect a city under siege, this time Atlanta and fought the Battle of Jonesboro where he was wounded and no longer fit to bear arms.
After the war, he took the loyalty oath and in December 1865 he moved to New York City with his wife and infant son to join the New York Herald. There he was schooled by the best, editor James Gordon Bennett, Sr., and promoted quickly through the ranks. By 1870, he was the foreign editor and handled all dispatches from the Franco-Prussian War. By the time of the surrender at the Battle of Sedan, he maintained rooms at the Astor House across the street from the Herald to receive encrypted dispatches to which he held the only key.
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