Alexander W. Monroe

Honorable Alexander W. Monroe
Alexander W. Monroe as Speaker of the West Virginia House of Delegates in 1875
Speaker of the West Virginia House of Delegates
In office 1875–1877
Preceded by	William M. Miller
Succeeded by	Eustace Gibson
Member of the West Virginia House of Delegates from the Hampshire County district
In office 1875–1877
Preceded by	George Deaver, Jr.
Succeeded by	Asa Hiett
In office 1879–1883
Preceded by	Asa Hiett
Succeeded by	Henry Bell Gilkeson
Member of the Virginia House of Delegates from the Hampshire County district
In office 1850–1851 Serving with William P. Stump
Preceded by	Robert Massey Powell William P. Stump
Succeeded by	James Allen Thomas B. White
Personal details
Born	(1817-12-29)December 29, 1817 Hampshire County, Virginia (now West Virginia), United States
Died	March 16, 1905(1905-03-16) (aged 87) Hampshire County, West Virginia, United States
Resting place	Indian Mound Cemetery, Romney, West Virginia
Political party	Democratic Party
Spouse(s)	Sarah A. French (first) Margaret Ellen Pugh (second)
Relations	Robert Monroe (father) Elizabeth Monroe (mother)
Children	James 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
Profession	schoolteacher, farmer, lawyer, surveyor, military officer, politician, newspaper editor, and newspaper publisher
Military service
Allegiance	Confederate States of America
Branch/service	Confederate States Army
Years of service	1861–1865 (CSA)
Rank	Colonel (114th Regiment, Virginia Militia) Major (18th Virginia Cavalry)
Commands	114th Regiment, Virginia Militia 18th Virginia Cavalry
Battles/wars	American 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.