Alexander Henry (Philadelphia)
Encyclopedia
Alexander Henry was the mayor of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, during the American Civil War
. He was prominent in the efforts to suppress Confederate
sympathizers within the city early in the war, and helped organize civilians to assist in constructing earthworks to defend the city during the 1863 Gettysburg Campaign
.
in 1840. He studied law, passed his bar exam in 1844, and established a prosperous legal firm. He became active in local politics and represented the Seventh Ward on the City Council from 1856-57.
In 1858, running as a member of the People's Party, he was elected mayor, defeating incumbent Richard Vaux
. Henry took office on May 11. Among his platforms was strong support for the city's proposed system of public transportation, including streetcars
. He also dramatically strengthened the police force.
Once the Civil War began in 1861, Philadelphia's southern leanings changed, and hostility moved from abolitionists to Southern sympathizers. Mobs threatened a secession
ist newspaper and the homes of suspected sympathizers. Henry responded to the growing crisis, and led efforts, along with the city police, to turn away the rioters and quell the unrest. Henry aligned himself with the Republican Party
and was reelected to successive terms.
During the Gettysburg Campaign in June 1863, he called out the home guard under Brig. General A. J. Pleasonton to help defend the city and encouraged citizens to help strengthen the line of earthworks and small forts ringing the main approaches to Philadelphia. Henry, along with Maj. Gen. Napoleon J. T. Dana, organized a work party of 700 men for this effort.
In late 1865, Henry chose not to run for another term and left office on January 1, 1866. He became a trustee of the University of Pennsylvania
, and was a bank director for several years. He also was a leading member of the board of directors that planned the 1876 Centennial Exposition
. He retired to a stately home in the Germantown
region.
Henry died in Philadelphia at age 60 from pneumonia
after returning from a prolonged visit to Europe
after the death of his only child, his son. He was buried in Laurel Hill Cemetery
in Philadelphia's East Falls
section.
neighborhood was named for the former mayor.
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. He was prominent in the efforts to suppress Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
sympathizers within the city early in the war, and helped organize civilians to assist in constructing earthworks to defend the city during the 1863 Gettysburg Campaign
Gettysburg Campaign
The Gettysburg Campaign was a series of battles fought in June and July 1863, during the American Civil War. After his victory in the Battle of Chancellorsville, Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia moved north for offensive operations in Maryland and Pennsylvania. The...
.
Biography
Henry was born and raised in Philadelphia, and was educated in local schools. He was a son of John Snowden Henry and Elizabeth (Bayard) Henry, and a grandson of Philadelphia businessman Alexander Henry. He graduated with high honors from Princeton UniversityPrinceton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
in 1840. He studied law, passed his bar exam in 1844, and established a prosperous legal firm. He became active in local politics and represented the Seventh Ward on the City Council from 1856-57.
In 1858, running as a member of the People's Party, he was elected mayor, defeating incumbent Richard Vaux
Richard Vaux
Richard Vaux was an American politician. He was mayor of Philadelphia and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania....
. Henry took office on May 11. Among his platforms was strong support for the city's proposed system of public transportation, including streetcars
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
. He also dramatically strengthened the police force.
Once the Civil War began in 1861, Philadelphia's southern leanings changed, and hostility moved from abolitionists to Southern sympathizers. Mobs threatened a secession
Secession
Secession is the act of withdrawing from an organization, union, or especially a political entity. Threats of secession also can be a strategy for achieving more limited goals.-Secession theory:...
ist newspaper and the homes of suspected sympathizers. Henry responded to the growing crisis, and led efforts, along with the city police, to turn away the rioters and quell the unrest. Henry aligned himself with the Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
and was reelected to successive terms.
During the Gettysburg Campaign in June 1863, he called out the home guard under Brig. General A. J. Pleasonton to help defend the city and encouraged citizens to help strengthen the line of earthworks and small forts ringing the main approaches to Philadelphia. Henry, along with Maj. Gen. Napoleon J. T. Dana, organized a work party of 700 men for this effort.
In late 1865, Henry chose not to run for another term and left office on January 1, 1866. He became a trustee of the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
, and was a bank director for several years. He also was a leading member of the board of directors that planned the 1876 Centennial Exposition
Centennial Exposition
The Centennial International Exhibition of 1876, the first official World's Fair in the United States, was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from May 10 to November 10, 1876, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia. It was officially...
. He retired to a stately home in the Germantown
Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Germantown is a neighborhood in the northwest section of the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, about 7–8 miles northwest from the center of the city...
region.
Henry died in Philadelphia at age 60 from pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
after returning from a prolonged visit to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
after the death of his only child, his son. He was buried in Laurel Hill Cemetery
Laurel Hill Cemetery
Laurel Hill Cemetery, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the second major garden or rural cemetery in the United States. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1998, one of only a few cemeteries to receive the distinction....
in Philadelphia's East Falls
East Falls, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
East Falls is a neighborhood in the Northwest section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. East Falls is located adjacent to Roxborough, Manayunk, and Germantown, and Fairmount Park. The neighborhood runs along a stretch of Ridge Avenue that is only a few miles long, along the banks of the...
section.
Honors
Henry Avenue in the AndorraAndorra, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Andorra is a neighborhood in Northwest Philadelphia, which is a section of the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Andorra is a part of Roxborough, being within the borders of the original Roxborough Township and having the same zip code . At some point during the 19th or 20th century, Andorra...
neighborhood was named for the former mayor.
External links
- The Alexander Henry papers, containing correspondence primarily from his work as mayor of Philadelphia, are available for research use at the Historical Society of PennsylvaniaHistorical Society of PennsylvaniaThe Historical Society of Pennsylvania is a historical society founded in 1824 and based in Philadelphia. The Society's building, designed by Addison Hutton and listed on Philadelphia's Register of Historical Places, houses some 600,000 printed items and over 19 million manuscript and graphic items...
- Political Graveyard