Alexander W. Monroe

Honorable
Alexander W. Monroe
Speaker of the West Virginia House of Delegates
In office
1875–1877
Preceded byWilliam M. Miller
Succeeded byEustace Gibson
Member of the West Virginia House of Delegates
from the Hampshire County district
In office
1875–1877
Preceded byGeorge Deaver, Jr.
Succeeded byAsa Hiett
In office
1879–1883
Preceded byAsa Hiett
Succeeded byHenry Bell Gilkeson
Member of the Virginia House of Delegates
from the Hampshire County district
In office
1850–1851
Serving with William P. Stump
Preceded byRobert Massey Powell
William P. Stump
Succeeded byJames Allen
Thomas B. White
Personal details
Born(1817-12-29)December 29, 1817
Hampshire County, Virginia (now West Virginia), United States
DiedMarch 16, 1905(1905-03-16) (aged 87)
Hampshire County, West Virginia, United States
Resting placeIndian Mound Cemetery, Romney, West Virginia
Political partyDemocratic Party
Spouse(s)Sarah A. French (first)
Margaret Ellen Pugh (second)
RelationsRobert Monroe (father)
Elizabeth Monroe (mother)
ChildrenJames W. Monroe
Robert Pugh Monroe
Sallie Elizabeth Monroe Haines
Ellen G. Monroe Tharp
Annie H. Monroe
Residence(s)Barnes Mill, West Virginia
Romney, West Virginia
Professionschoolteacher, farmer, lawyer, surveyor, military officer, politician, newspaper editor, and newspaper publisher
Military service
AllegianceConfederate States of America Confederate States of America
Branch/service Confederate States Army
Years of service1861–1865 (CSA)
Rank Colonel (114th Regiment, Virginia Militia)
Major (18th Virginia Cavalry)
CommandsVirginia 114th Regiment, Virginia Militia
Virginia 18th Virginia Cavalry
Battles/warsAmerican Civil War

Alexander W. Monroe (December 29, 1817 – March 16, 1905) was a prominent American lawyer, politician, and military officer in the U.S. states of Virginia and West Virginia. Monroe served as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates (1850–1851 and 1862–1865) and West Virginia House of Delegates (1875–1877 and 1879–1883) representing Hampshire County. He was the Speaker of the West Virginia House of Delegates during the 1875–1877 legislative session. Monroe also represented Hampshire County in the West Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1872.

Monroe was born in Hampshire County, Virginia (present-day West Virginia) in 1817. At the age of 18, he and his siblings were orphaned and he became a schoolteacher to provide for the education of his brothers and sisters. He later became a county surveyor, and studied jurisprudence. Monroe was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates (1850–1851), during which time he participated in the 1851 reform of the Constitution of Virginia. He was admitted to the Virginia bar in 1858 and in 1861, he purchased the Virginia Argus and Hampshire Advertiser newspaper, which he operated until the onset of the American Civil War.

In 1861, Monroe commanded the 114th Regiment of the Virginia militia with the rank of colonel; he was the oldest person in that commissioned rank within the state's militia. The 114th Regiment took part in several skirmishes in Hampshire County. Following the regiment's disbandment, Monroe volunteered and raised a battalion of cavalry within the 18th Virginia Volunteer Cavalry Regiment of the regular Confederate States Army. He later commanded the rear guard during the withdrawal of Confederate forces under the command of General Robert E. Lee from the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863, successfully protecting the 27-mile (43 km)-long wagon train. Monroe served in the Virginia House of Delegates throughout the Civil War.

Monroe returned to the practice of law and in 1872 was a participant in the West Virginia Constitutional Convention. From 1875 to 1877, he was a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates and was twice elected speaker. He was the first delegate to represent Hampshire County in both the Virginia General Assembly and the West Virginia Legislature. Monroe was twice appointed as a director of the West Virginia Hospital for the Insane. He again served in the West Virginia House of Delegates from 1879 to 1883. Monroe retired to his farm on the Little Cacapon River and died in 1905.