Alexander Campbell Botkin

Alexander Campbell Botkin (October 13, 1842 – November 1, 1905) was a United States politician from Montana.

Alexander C. Botkin, lieutenant governor of Montana

Biography

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Botkin was born on October 13, 1842, in Madison, Wisconsin.[1][2] He graduated from the University of Wisconsin with bachelor's and master's degrees (in 1859) and received his Bachelor of Laws from Albany Law School in 1866.[1][3]

Botkin was a payroll clerk for the United States Army during the American Civil War (1862–1865).[2] He practiced law, and was an editor of the Milwaukee Sentinel from 1868 to 1869, managing editor of the Chicago Times (1869–1874), and editor of the Milwaukee Sentinel (1874–1877).[1] He married Harriet E. Sherman in 1872.[1]

In 1878, President Rutherford Hayes appointed him United States marshal for the Montana Territory.[1] In 1880, he lost the use of his legs as the result of an illness following exposure during a winter storm, and he used a wheelchair for the remainder of his life.[2] He remained active in the law and politics, and continued to serve as a U.S. marshal until 1885. He served as a master in chancery for Montana's federal courts from 1889 to 1897, and Helena's city attorney from 1886 to 1890.

Botkin was elected lieutenant governor as a Republican in 1892 and served one term, 1893 to 1897. He was an unsuccessful candidate for governor in 1896.[1]

In 1897, President William McKinley appointed Botkin to a commission tasked with revising the United States criminal and penal code.[2] He eventually came chairman, and served until he died, in Washington, D.C.[1][4][5]

Botkin died on November 1, 1905.[1][2] He was buried at Forest Hill Cemetery in Madison, Wisconsin, where his father Alexander Botkin[1] had served as a member of both houses of the Wisconsin State Legislature.[6]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Colonel Botkin Dead". Fergus County Democrat. November 7, 1905. p. 7. Retrieved July 27, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.  
  2. ^ a b c d e "Funeral of Alexander C. Botkin This Afternoon". The Evening Star. November 2, 1905. p. 11. Retrieved July 28, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.  
  3. ^ Frankenburger, David Bower (1902), General Catalogue of the Officers and Graduates of the University of Wisconsin, 1849–1902, Madison, Wisconsin: Madison Press, p. 48, OCLC 27790325, retrieved 2010-10-29
  4. ^ "The Political Graveyard: Index to Politicians: Bos to Bouckaert".
  5. ^ "New Page 1". Archived from the original on 2010-05-28. Retrieved 2010-10-29.
  6. ^ "The Political Graveyard: Index to Politicians: Bos to Bouckaert".
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Party political offices
Preceded by Republican nominee for Governor of Montana
1896
Succeeded by
David S. Folsom
Political offices
Preceded by Lieutenant Governor of Montana
1893–1897
Succeeded by