John Bassett Alley | |
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.jpg) Alley c. 1860–65 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromMassachusetts | |
| In office March 4, 1859 – March 4, 1867 | |
| Preceded by | Timothy Davis |
| Succeeded by | Benjamin Butler |
| Constituency | 6th district (1859–1863) 5th district (1863–1867) |
| Member of theMassachusetts State Senate from the Essex District | |
| In office 1852–1852 | |
| Member of theMassachusetts Executive Council | |
| In office 1847–1851 | |
| Member of the Lynn Board ofAldermen | |
| In office 1850–1850 | |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 7, 1817 |
| Died | January 19, 1896(1896-01-19) (aged 79) |
| Resting place | Pine Grove Cemetery |
| Political party | Liberty Free Soil Republican |
| Spouse | Hannah Maria Rhodes |
| Children | John and Emma |
| Profession | Shoe Manufacture |
John Bassett Alley (January 7, 1817 – January 19, 1896) was a businessman and politician who served as aU.S. Representative fromMassachusetts.
John Alley was born on January 7, 1817, inLynn, Massachusetts. He attended the common schools andPhillips Academy Andover. At the age of fourteen, he was apprenticed to work for a shoemaker and was released at nineteen.
In 1832, his parents, John Sr. and Mercy (née Buffum), and his younger sister Sarah joined theChurch of Christ in 1832, later renamed the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.[1][2] They moved toNauvoo, Illinois, where Sarah was one of the first women to marry polygamously and became the first Mormon woman to bear a child as a polygamist.[3]
In 1836, Alley moved toCincinnati, Ohio and took a job freighting merchandise up and down the Mississippi River. In 1838, he returned toLynn and entered the shoe manufacturing business. He established a hide and leather house in Boston in 1847.
Alley served as a member of theMassachusetts Governor's Council from 1847 to 1851. In 1850, he served as member of the first Board of Aldermen of Lynn.
He represented Lynn in the State Senate in 1852 and as a member of theMassachusetts Constitutional Convention of 1853.
In 1852, Alley was aFree Soil candidate for U.S. Representative, but lost.[4] He joined the newRepublican Party and was elected to theThirty-sixth and to the three succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1859 – March 3, 1867).He served as chairman of the Committee on the Post Office and Post Roads (Thirty-eighth andThirty-ninth Congresses).He was not a candidate for renomination in 1866.He became connected with the Union Pacific Railroad.
During the 1880s and 1890s, Alley was involved in a protracted lawsuit known as the Snow-Alley case which damaged his health and cost him a large part of his fortune.[5]
He abandoned active business pursuits in 1886 and died inWest Newton, Massachusetts on January 19, 1896. He was interred inPine Grove Cemetery,Lynn, Massachusetts.
Johnson, Rossiter, ed. (1906). "Alley, John Buffum".The Biographical Dictionary of America. Vol. 1. Boston: American Biographical Society. p. 93.| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromMassachusetts's 6th congressional district March 4, 1859 – March 3, 1863 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromMassachusetts's 5th congressional district March 4, 1863 – March 3, 1867 | Succeeded by |
| Post Office and Post Roads (1808–1947) |  | |
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| (Reform in the) Civil Service* (1893–1947) | ||
| Post Office and Civil Service (1947–1995) | ||
| Note | *Name shortened fromReform in the Civil Service toCivil Service in 1925. | |
This article incorporatespublic domain material fromBiographical Directory of the United States Congress.Federal government of the United States.
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