Field, Alexander P.

Born: 1800-11-30 Louisville, Kentucky

Died: 1876-08-19 New Orleans, Louisiana

After attending Transylvania University in Kentucky, Field moved to Illinois, settling in Jonesboro. He won election to the Illinois General Assembly, serving from 1822-24, 1826-29 and supported the attempt to bring slavery to the state. In 1829, Governor Ninian Edwards appointed Field secretary of state, an office he held until 1840, when he was removed to be replaced by Stephen A. Douglas. During this time, he also kept an active law practice. Field acted as a brigade inspector during the Black Hawk War and unsuccessfully ran for Congress in 1831. Initially a Democrat, he became a Whig during his tenure as secretary of state. In 1841, William Henry Harrison appointed Field territorial secretary of Wisconsin. He left the territory in 1847 for St. Louis, Missouri, where he resumed his law practice. Field moved to New Orleans, Louisiana, two years later.

Frank E. Stevens, "Alexander Pope Field" in Journal of Illinois Historical Society 4 (1912): 7-37.