William Aldrich (Congressional Biographical Directory)

ALDRICH, William,  (father of James Franklin Aldrich and cousin of Nelson Wilmarth Aldrich), a Representative from Illinois; born in Greenfield Center, Saratoga County, N.Y., January 19, 1820; attended the common schools and the local academy; taught school until twenty-six years of age; moved to Jackson, Mich., in 1846 and engaged in mercantile pursuits; moved to Wisconsin and settled in Two Rivers, Manitowoc County, in 1851; continued mercantile pursuits and also engaged in the manufacture of lumber, woodenware, and furniture; superintendent of schools 1855 and 1856; chairman of the county board of supervisors 1857 and 1858; member of the State house of representatives in 1859; moved to Chicago, Ill., in 1861 and engaged in the wholesale grocery business; member of the Chicago City Council in 1876, serving as chairman; elected as a Republican to the Forty-fifth, Forty-sixth, and Forty-seventh Congresses (March 4, 1877-March 3, 1883); unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1882; resumed his former business pursuits in Chicago and was also interested in the milling business at Fond du Lac, Wis., where he died, while on a business trip, December 3, 1885; interment in Rosehill Cemetery, Chicago, Ill.