Alfred Peck Edgerton

Who was Alfred Peck Edgerton?

Alfred Peck Edgerton was a member of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio for two terms.

Edgerton was born in Plattsburgh, New York on January 11, 1813. He graduated from Plattsburgh Academy and worked briefly for a newspaper.

He moved to New York City to work in advertising and other business pursuits. Within a few years, in 1837, Edgerton moved to Hicksville, Ohio, an area of development. He became manager of the American Land Company, engaging in surveying and selling land for settlement and development in northern Ohio. He was the founder of Edgerton, Ohio.

A Democrat, Edgerton served in the Ohio State Senate from 1845 and 1846. He was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1850 and served two terms as a member of the Thirty-second and Thirty-third Congresses, March 4, 1851 to March 3, 1855.

After leaving Congress, Edgerton resided in New York City. He worked as the financial agent of Ohio's Board of Fund Commissioners, the agency responsible for issuing, paying interest on, redeeming and canceling the state's general obligation bonds. In 1857 he moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana as general manager of the Wabash and Erie Canal.