Jump to content

J. Frank Aldrich

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

J. Frank Aldrich
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Illinois's 1st district
In office
March 4, 1893 – March 3, 1897
Preceded byAbner Taylor
Succeeded byJames Robert Mann
President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners
In office
1886–1887
Preceded byGeorge C. Klehm
Succeeded byHenry C. Senne
Member of the Cook County Board of Commissioners
In office
1886–1888
Personal details
BornJames Franklin Aldrich
(1853-04-06)April 6, 1853
Two Rivers, Wisconsin
DiedMarch 8, 1933(1933-03-08) (aged 79)
Chicago, Illinois
PartyRepublican
Spouse(s)
Lulu M. Sherman
​
​
(m. 1878; died 1897)​

​
​
(m. 1901; div. 1915)​

James Franklin Aldrich (April 6, 1853 – March 8, 1933) was an American politician and civil engineer. From 1893-1897 he served as a United States representative from Illinois.

Biography

[edit]

The son of William Aldrich and Anna Mary Aldrich (née Howard),[1] James Franklin Aldrich was born on April 6, 1853, in Two Rivers, Wisconsin.[2] He moved with his parents to Chicago, Illinois, in April 1861 where he attended the public schools.[3] Later, he attended Chicago University and graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York, in 1877 with a degree in civil engineering.[2] In 1878 he was elected a member of the Civil Engineers' Club of the Midwest.[4] He initially was engaged in the manufacturing of linseed oil, and later worked in the gas business.[3]

On November 13, 1878 Aldrich married his first wife, Lulu M. Sherman, in Chicago. Lulu was the daughter of American Civil War general Francis Trowbridge Sherman.[5] They remained married until Lulu's death in 1897. They had three children, Eleanor, Martha, and Sherman.[6]

Aldrich was a member of the Cook County Board of Commissioners from 1886 to 1888, serving as president in 1887.[2] He declined to seek re-election to the board in 1888.[7] Aldrich was also a member of the county board of education in 1887 and commissioner of public works of Chicago from May 1, 1891, to January 1, 1893.[2] Aldrich was elected as a Republican to the Fifty-third and Fifty-fourth Congresses (March 4, 1893 – March 3, 1897) and served as chairman, Committee on Accounts (Fifty-fourth Congress).[3] He was not a candidate for renomination in 1896; deciding to retire at the end of the 54th United States Congress.[2]

After leaving Congress, Aldrich was appointed Consul General at Havana, Cuba in 1897,[8] but did not reach his post to serve owing to the sinking of the battleship Maine and to the war with Spain which followed.[3] He was the receiver of national banks, and railroad appraiser, from 1898 until 1923.[3]

On April 18, 1901,[9] Aldrich married opera singer Mariska Agan (known on the stage under her married name as Mariska Aldrich).[10][11] They divorced on October 21, 1915.[12] They had two children, Meeka and Fred.[13] Meeka had a career as a stage and film actress.[14]

Aldrich died on March 8, 1933 at the King Home For Old Men in Chicago, Illinois, at age 79.[8] He was buried in Rosehill Cemetery in Chicago, Illinois.[3]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "James Franklin Aldrich papers, 1841-1932, bulk 1876-1932". Chicago History Museum, Research Center, Chicago Historical Society. 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Bateman, Newton; Selby, Paul; Seymour Currey, Josiah (1923). "Aldrich, J. Frank". Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois: With Commemorative Biographies. Vol. I. Munsell Publishing Company. p. 13.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 United States Congress Joint Committee on Printing. "Aldrich, James Franklin 1853 – 1933". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. United States Government Publishing Office. Retrieved April 21, 2026.
  4. ↑ "Wooden Pavement". The Inter Ocean. January 3, 1878. p. 2.
  5. ↑ "Hymeneal. Chicago". Chicago Tribune. November 14, 1878. p. 3.
  6. ↑ "Death of Mrs J. Frank Aldrich". Chicago Tribune. September 1, 1897. p. 2.
  7. ↑ "Putting Up The Ticket". Chicago Tribune. September 9, 1888. p. 9. Retrieved March 23, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. 1 2 "J. FRANK ALDRICH.; Former Illinois Congressman Dies at the Age of 80". The New York Times. March 9, 1933.
  9. ↑ "J. Frank Aldrich Marries". The Inter Ocean. Apr 19, 1901. p. 7.
  10. ↑ "J. Frank Aldrich to Wed Miss Mariska Agan". Chicago Tribune. March 16, 1901. p. 5.
  11. ↑ Baker, Theodore; Remy, Alfred (1919). Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians. G. Schirmer. OCLC 19940414. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  12. ↑ "Mme. Mariska Aldrich is Granted Divorce". Musical America. October 30, 1915. p. 6.
  13. ↑ "Ex-Congressman Gives Tea For Divorced Wife". Mattoon Commercial-Star. December 29, 1915. p. 1.
  14. ↑ "Shattered Dreams Blamed For Death". The Miami Herald. May 1, 1928. p. 12.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=J._Frank_Aldrich&oldid=1364781540"