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Alexander De Witt | |
|---|---|
.jpg) From the Clara Barton Papers in the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. Circa 1855. | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMassachusetts's9th district | |
| In office March 4, 1853 – March 3, 1857 | |
| Preceded by | Edward P. Little |
| Succeeded by | Eli Thayer |
| Member of theMassachusetts Senate | |
| In office 1842 1844 1850 1851 | |
| Member of theMassachusetts House of Representatives | |
| In office 1830–1836 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1798-04-02)April 2, 1798 |
| Died | January 13, 1879(1879-01-13) (aged 80) |
| Political party | Democratic Free-Soil American Party Republican Party |
Alexander De Witt (April 2, 1798 – January 13, 1879) was a 19th-centuryAmerican politician from the state ofMassachusetts.
Born inNew Braintree, Massachusetts, De Witt worked in textile manufacturing inOxford, Massachusetts. Active in politics as aDemocrat, he was elected to theMassachusetts House of Representatives in 1830, serving until 1836. He served in theMassachusetts State Senate in 1842, 1844, 1850, and 1851.[citation needed]
An anti-slavery activist, De Witt later joined theFree Soil Party. As a Free Soiler he was elected to theUnited States Congress in 1853. In January 1854, he was one of six signatories of the "Appeal of the Independent Democrats", drafted to oppose the Kansas-Nebraska Act.
After the demise of the Free Soil Party, De Witt joined theAmerican Party, then the only major party with an anti-slavery platform. He won a second term in 1854, and served in the34th Congress.[citation needed]
He was defeated in his 1856 bid for reelection and returned to his previous work as a textile manufacturer. De Witt later became aRepublican, and supported theUnion during theAmerican Civil War by participating in efforts to recruit and equip soldiers for Massachusetts regiments.
De Witt died in Oxford on January 13, 1879. He is buried in Oxford's South Cemetery.[1]
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromMassachusetts's 9th congressional district March 4, 1853 – March 3, 1857 | Succeeded by |
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