Alfred Alexander Freeman facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alfred Alexander Freeman
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| United States Assistant Attorney General for the Post Office Department | |
| In office 1877–1885 |
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| Preceded by | Thomas Ara Spence |
| Succeeded by | Edwin E. Bryant |
| Member of the Tennessee House of Representatives |
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| In office 1865–1866 |
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| Preceded by | W.P. Bond |
| Succeeded by | J.A. Moore |
| In office 1871–1872 |
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| Preceded by | J.W. Clarke |
| Succeeded by | W.W. Rutledge |
| In office 1876–1877 |
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| Preceded by | Lewis Bond |
| Succeeded by | Oliver Alexander |
| Personal details | |
| Born | February 7, 1838 Haywood County, Tennessee, United States |
| Died | March 27, 1926 (aged 88) Victoria, British Columbia, Canada |
| Resting place | Royal Oak Burial Park Victoria, British Columbia |
| Political party | Republican |
| Profession | Attorney |
Alfred Alexander Freeman (born February 7, 1838 – died March 27, 1926) was an important American politician, judge, and diplomat in the late 1800s. He served several times in the Tennessee House of Representatives after the Civil War. He was also the Republican candidate for Governor of Tennessee in 1872.
Freeman held several big jobs in the government. He was the United States Assistant Attorney General for the Post Office Department from 1877 to 1885. He also worked as a judge in New Mexico from 1890 to 1895. In 1873, he was a United States Consul in Prague. Later in his life, in the early 1900s, he started a lumber company in British Columbia, Canada.
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Early Life and Education
Alfred Alexander Freeman was born in Haywood County, Tennessee. His father was Green Freeman. Alfred didn't go to school very often when he was young. He left home when he was 17 years old.
Even without much schooling, he studied law. He became a lawyer in 1859. During the Civil War, he supported the Union side.
Tennessee Politics After the War
In July 1865, Freeman was chosen to represent Haywood County in the Tennessee House of Representatives. He started his term in October of that year. He joined a group of lawmakers who supported President Andrew Johnson. They were against the plans of Governor William G. Brownlow.
In March 1866, Freeman and other lawmakers left the meeting. They did this to stop a new law about state elections from passing. Because of this, his seat in the House was declared empty.
Later in 1866, Freeman became vice president of a political meeting in Memphis. He also went to a big national meeting in Philadelphia.
Running for Judge and House
After Tennessee got a new state constitution in 1870, Freeman was nominated for the Tennessee Supreme Court. During this time, he had a disagreement with another person named John Freeman. This disagreement turned into a physical fight. Friends had to step in to stop it.
Alfred Freeman lost the election for judge in August 1870. But a month later, he was nominated again for the Tennessee House. He easily won this election in November. At this time, Democrats had taken control of the state government. Freeman was the only Republican in the House from West Tennessee.
Debates and Governor Race
In December 1871, Freeman spoke out strongly in the House. Lawmakers were discussing if the Ku Klux Klan was still a problem. Freeman argued that even if the group seemed gone, the people who were part of it were still a threat. He said they needed to be stopped.
In September 1872, Freeman became the Republican candidate for governor. He traveled and debated the current governor, John C. Brown. Governor Brown blamed Republicans for the state's money problems. He didn't want to raise taxes for schools.
Freeman argued that earlier Democratic governors caused the debt. He said money spent by Governor Brownlow was to rebuild railroads after the war. Freeman supported taxes to pay for public schools. He also said Democrats had taken money from the state's school fund.
On election day, Governor Brown won. Freeman got 84,089 votes, which was 46% of the total. This was a good result for a Republican candidate at that time.
After the Governor's Race
In May 1873, President Ulysses S. Grant appointed Freeman as a United States Consul to Prague. Prague was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire back then. He went to Prague in June 1873. But by October, he was back home. Freeman later said he felt very lonely and isolated in Prague because of the language barrier.
In 1874, Freeman tried to get elected to the Tennessee House again. He lost by a small number of votes. In 1876, he started his own newspaper, the Brownsville Free Press. He used it to support the Republican Party.
Later in 1876, he was a delegate at the 1876 Republican National Convention. He worked on the committee that wrote the party's goals. He sold his newspaper to focus on his campaign for the Tennessee House. He won the election in November.
Working for the Post Office
In April 1877, President Rutherford B. Hayes appointed Freeman as United States Assistant Attorney General for the Post Office Department. In this job, he was in charge of all the legal matters for the Postal Service. He got this job because he was friends with the Postmaster General, David M. Key.
In 1879, Freeman made a rule that allowed the Postal Service to hold back mail sent to lottery companies. This led to many lawsuits. Freeman spent much of his time defending this rule in court. He also worked on cases about mail fraud.
After his term ended in 1885, Freeman started a law firm in Washington with another former politician.
Life in New Mexico
In 1890, a new judicial district was created in the New Mexico Territory. President Benjamin Harrison appointed Freeman to be the judge for this new district. This district covered several counties. Freeman's son-in-law worked as the clerk for the court.
Judges in New Mexico also served on the territory's appeals court. One of the first important cases Freeman decided was about the Shalam Colony. This was a religious community. Freeman made an important decision in this case that is still talked about in legal cases today.
After his term as judge ended in 1895, Freeman worked with other lawyers. He later started a law practice with his son-in-law, James O. Cameron. In 1900, he was elected President of the New Mexico Bar, which is a group for lawyers.
Later Life in Canada
In late 1907, Freeman and his family moved to British Columbia, Canada. There, he and his son-in-law, James O. Cameron, started a lumber company. Freeman spent his later years working as the vice president of this company.
He died in Victoria on March 27, 1926. Alfred Freeman and his family are buried in Victoria's Royal Oak Burial Park.
A house that Freeman once owned in Victoria is listed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places.
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Alfred Alexander Freeman
