Alfred Milnes | |
|---|---|
 Livingstone's History of the Republican Party,c. 1900 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives from Michigan's3rd district | |
| In office December 2, 1895 – March 3, 1897 | |
| Preceded by | Julius C. Burrows |
| Succeeded by | Albert M. Todd |
| Lieutenant Governor of Michigan | |
| In office 1895 – June 1, 1895 | |
| Governor | John T. Rich |
| Preceded by | J. Wight Giddings |
| Succeeded by | Joseph R. McLaughlin |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1844-05-28)May 28, 1844 |
| Died | January 15, 1916(1916-01-15) (aged 71) Coldwater, Michigan, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Lucina E. Hull |
| Children | 3 |
Alfred Milnes (May 28, 1844 – January 15, 1916) was a politician from theU.S. state ofMichigan.
Milnes was born inBradford,Yorkshire,England. His parents, Henry and Mary Ann (née Amyss) Milnes joined theLDS Church and left England with their family in 1854. After a sixty-day voyage fromLiverpool, they arrived inNew Orleans, from which they proceeded by boat toSt. Louis and then toKansas City. There, Henry bought a wagon and proceeded overland toSalt Lake City, viaFort Kearny,Fort Laramie, andFort Bridger. After sixteen weeks, they reached their destination on September 25, 1854. Two years later, Mary Ann died and Henry moved with the family toSpringville, Utah, and remained there until May 1859. Henry had become disenchanted with the Mormons and sold his property at a great loss in order to leave. They stayed inNewton, Iowa, for the winter of 1859–1860, and in 1861 arrived inColdwater, Michigan, after traveling the entire distance by oxen-drawn wagon. He opened a small store and became a successful merchant.
Alfred Milnes was age seventeen upon arriving in Coldwater. He had attended the common schools in Salt Lake City and Newton. In Coldwater, he worked as he was able to during the summer and attended school in the winter.
With the outbreak of theCivil War, Milnes enlisted as a private in Company C, Seventeenth Regiment, Michigan Volunteer Infantry, June 30, 1862. The forces mustered atDetroit, and left the state on August 27, 1862, going straight toWashington, D.C. On September 14, he saw action in theBattle of South Mountain inMaryland. Three days later, the regiment was in theBattle of Antietam, where they lost half their men. Their next engagement was theBattle of Fredericksburg, after which they were joined with the9th Army Corps under the overall command of GeneralAmbrose Burnside, and engaged in the pursuit of Confederate GeneralJohn Hunt Morgan to put an end toMorgan's Raid. After this, his regiment was positioned to serve as rearguard against attack by Confederate GeneralJoseph E. Johnston at theSiege of Vicksburg. The regiment then proceeded toJackson, Mississippi. The regiment then went to Kentucky and into east Tennessee, where it saw action in theBattle of Campbell's Station and theSiege of Knoxville. They then moved toAnnapolis, Maryland, where they were attached to theArmy of the Potomac. The 17th regiment saw heavy losses in theBattle of the Wilderness, with only 35 of the original 225 remaining. The regiment was discontinued as a military unit and the survivors were taken to the headquarters of GeneralOrlando B. Willcox, where they served guard duty until the end of the war.
After the war, Milnes was 21 years old when he returned to Coldwater. He worked as a clerk in his father's business until 1871, when he formed a mercantile partnership called "Mines & Vanderhoof". The partnership prospered for ten years, after which Milnes sold hist interest and started his own business. On January 6, 1868, Milnes married Lucina E. Hull, the younger child of Cyrus and Eunice (Allen) Hull, who were owned a farm inQuincy. Alfred and Lucina had three children: Alfred Cyrus, Maude L., and Mabel F.
Milnes became a member of the board of aldermen of Coldwater in 1876 and 1877. He was elected mayor of Coldwater in 1885 and 1886 was a member of theMichigan Senate, where he represented the7th district, from 1888 to 1892.[1] He was elected the 28thlieutenant governor of Michigan in 1894 and served underGovernorJohn T. Rich until his resignation June 1, 1895.
Milnes was chosen from a special election in April 1895 as aRepublican fromMichigan's 3rd congressional district to the54th Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation ofJulius C. Burrows. Milnes served from December 2, 1895, to March 3, 1897. He was an unsuccessful candidate for re-election in 1896 to the Fifty-Fifth Congress and was appointed postmaster of Coldwater in 1898 and served until 1902. He was also a delegate to the Michigan constitutional convention of 1907 and 1908.
Alfred Milnes engaged in the real estate and insurance business in Coldwater until his death. He was interred there in Oak Grove Cemetery.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Lieutenant Governor of Michigan 1895 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromMichigan's 3rd congressional district December 2, 1895 – March 3, 1897 | Succeeded by |
