Alpheus Felch | |
|---|---|
 | |
| United States Senator fromMichigan | |
| In office March 4, 1847 – March 3, 1853 | |
| Preceded by | William Woodbridge |
| Succeeded by | Charles E. Stuart |
| 5th Governor of Michigan | |
| In office January 5, 1846 – March 3, 1847 | |
| Lieutenant | William L. Greenly |
| Preceded by | John S. Barry |
| Succeeded by | William L. Greenly |
| Michigan Auditor General | |
| In office 1842 | |
| Governor | John S. Barry |
| Preceded by | Eurotus P. Hastings |
| Succeeded by | Henry L. Whipple |
| Member of theMichigan House of Representatives | |
| In office 1835–1837 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1804-09-28)September 28, 1804 Limerick, Massachusetts (now Limerick, Maine, US) |
| Died | June 13, 1896(1896-06-13) (aged 91) |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Lucretia W. Lawrence (4 children) |
| Alma mater | Bowdoin College |
| Signature | .png) |
Alpheus Felch (September 28, 1804 – June 13, 1896) was the fifthgovernor of Michigan andU.S. Senator fromMichigan.
Felch was born inLimerick (in modern-dayMaine, then a part ofMassachusetts). He was left an orphan at the age of three and lived with his grandfather Abijah Felch, a veteran of theAmerican Revolution. He attendedPhillips Exeter Academy inExeter, New Hampshire, and graduated fromBowdoin College,Brunswick, Maine, in 1827. He studied law and was admitted to thebar inBangor, Maine,[1] and practiced inHoulton, Maine, from 1830 to 1833.
Felch moved toMonroe, Michigan, in 1833 and continued the practice of law. In 1835 he was the aid-de-camp to General Joseph Brown during the mustering of troops for the Ohio–Michigan Boundary Dispute (theToledo War). He was elected three times to theMichigan State House of Representatives, serving from 1835 to 1837. He was appointed state bank commissioner in 1838 and resigned in 1839. As bank commissioner, he did much to expose frauds which had been made possible by a generalwildcat banking law which he had opposed, and which was afterward declared unconstitutional by theMichigan Supreme Court.[1] He was state auditor general for a few weeks in 1842 before being appointed associate justice of the Michigan Supreme Court in 1842, where he served until his resignation in 1845, after being elected governor. He served asGovernor of Michigan from 1846 to 1847 and during those fourteen months, state statutes were amended and the state capital was relocated toLansing.
Felch resigned as governor on March 3, 1847, after being elected by the Michigan legislature as aDemocrat to theUnited States Senate. He served in the30th,31st and32nd Congresses, from March 4, 1847 to March 3, 1853. In the U.S. Senate, he was chairman of the committee on public lands for four years.[1]
In March 1853, he was appointed by U.S. PresidentFranklin Pierce to theland claims commission for California to settle Spanish andMexican land claims arising from theTreaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo which ended theMexican–American War and served as president of the commission until 1856. He returned to live inAnn Arbor, Michigan, that year and made an unsuccessful attempt at a non-consecutive term as governor against theRepublican incumbentKinsley S. Bingham. He resumed his law career and served as the Tappan Professor of Law at theUniversity of Michigan from 1879 to 1883.
He died at his home inAnn Arbor, Michigan at the age of 91, and is interred atForest Hill Cemetery along with his wife, Lucretia.[2]
Alpheus Felch is the namesake ofFelch Township, Michigan.[3] Felch Park, on the University of Michigan campus, is also named for him.
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forGovernor of Michigan 1845 | Succeeded by |
| Democratic nominee forGovernor of Michigan 1856 | Succeeded by | |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Michigan Auditor General 1842 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Governor of Michigan 1846–1847 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by | U.S. senator (Class 2) from Michigan 1847–1853 Served alongside:Lewis Cass,Thomas Fitzgerald, Lewis Cass | Succeeded by |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by | Most senior living U.S. senator (Sitting or former) June 26, 1889 – June 13, 1896 With:James W. Bradbury | Succeeded by |
| Class 1 |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 2 | ||
| Public Lands (1816–1921) | | |
|---|---|---|
| Public Lands and Surveys (1921–1947) | ||
| Interior and Insular Affairs (1947–1977) | ||
| Energy and Natural Resources (1977–) | ||
 | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
