Representative Alfred Peck Edgerton

Alfred Peck Edgerton (January 11, 1813 – May 14, 1897) was an American businessman and Democratic politician who served two terms in the United States House of Representatives from Ohio from 1851 to 1855. He was born in Plattsburgh, Clinton County, New York, on January 11, 1813, the son of Bela Edgerton and Phebe Ketchum. He was educated at Plattsburgh Academy, from which he graduated before entering the workforce. Early in his career he worked briefly for a newspaper, gaining experience in printing and public communications that would inform his later business and political activities.

After his initial employment in Plattsburgh, Edgerton moved to New York City, where he engaged in advertising and other business pursuits. The commercial environment of the city provided him with experience in finance, promotion, and land-related enterprises. In 1837, seeking opportunities in the developing West, he relocated to Hicksville, in what was then a frontier area of northwestern Ohio. There he became manager of the American Land Company, a position in which he was responsible for surveying, promoting, and selling land for settlement and development in northern Ohio. Through these activities he played a central role in the growth of the region and was the founder of the town of Edgerton, Ohio, which was named in his honor.

Edgerton’s growing prominence in Ohio’s business and civic affairs led him into public service. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected to the Ohio State Senate and served in that body in 1845 and 1846. His legislative experience at the state level, combined with his familiarity with land, transportation, and finance issues, helped establish his reputation as a capable representative of a rapidly developing region of the state.

In 1850, Edgerton was elected as a Democrat to the United States House of Representatives. He served two consecutive terms as a member of the Thirty-second and Thirty-third Congresses, from March 4, 1851, to March 3, 1855, representing Ohio. His service in Congress occurred during a significant period in American history, marked by sectional tensions and debates over expansion, infrastructure, and economic policy. As a member of the Democratic Party representing Ohio, Alfred Peck Edgerton contributed to the legislative process during his two terms in office, participating in the democratic process and representing the interests of his constituents in a time of national growth and increasing political strain.

After leaving Congress in 1855, Edgerton returned to private and public financial work. He resided in New York City and served as the financial agent of Ohio’s Board of Fund Commissioners, the state agency responsible for issuing, paying interest on, redeeming, and canceling Ohio’s general obligation bonds. In this capacity he helped manage the state’s public debt and credit. In 1857 he moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana, where he became general manager of the Wabash and Erie Canal, then a major transportation artery for the region. His work with the canal reflected his long-standing involvement with internal improvements and regional development.

Edgerton returned to Ohio in 1868 and remained active in public life. That same year he was the Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor of Ohio, although he was unsuccessful in his bid for statewide office. He continued to contribute to the civic and religious life of his community. In 1873, he undertook the construction of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Hicksville, Ohio, a project that reflected both his personal faith and his commitment to the town he had helped develop decades earlier. The church was consecrated on October 1, 1875, and on that same day his grandson Robert Swartwout was the first child baptized there, underscoring the family’s close connection to the institution.

In the later years of his career, Edgerton returned to federal service. In 1885, he was appointed Chairman of the United States Civil Service Commission, an office central to the implementation of civil service reforms in the post–Pendleton Act era. He served in this capacity until 1889, participating in the effort to professionalize the federal workforce and reduce the influence of patronage in government appointments. This appointment capped a long career that bridged business, state politics, national legislative service, and federal administrative reform.

Edgerton’s personal and family life was closely intertwined with his public career. On February 9, 1841, he married Charlotte Elizabeth Dixon. The couple had eight children, and through them he became the grandfather of noted architect Egerton Swartwout. He was also the brother of Joseph Ketchum Edgerton, an attorney and businessman who, like Alfred, served in Congress, representing Indiana. These family connections reflected a broader pattern of public service and professional accomplishment that extended across state lines and generations.

Alfred Peck Edgerton died in Hicksville, Ohio, on May 14, 1897. Following his death, his body was transported to Fort Wayne, Indiana, where he was buried in Lindenwood Cemetery. His life encompassed the transformation of the Old Northwest from frontier to settled region, and his work as a land developer, legislator, canal manager, financial agent, and civil service reformer left a lasting imprint on Ohio, Indiana, and the federal government.