Alexander Long

Alexander Long was an American politician and lawyer who served as a U.S. Representative from Ohio during the American Civil War. A member of the Democratic Party, he became one of the most prominent and controversial Copperheads in Congress, advocating for a negotiated peace with the Confederate States of America. His vehement opposition to the war policies of President Abraham Lincoln and the Republican Party led to a formal censure by the House of Representatives in 1864. After his political career, Long resumed his legal practice in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he remained a notable figure until his death.

Early life and education

Alexander Long was born on December 24, 1816, in Greenville, Pennsylvania. He pursued his early education in local schools before attending Jefferson College in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, where he graduated in 1837. Following his graduation, he studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1840, and began his legal practice in his hometown. Seeking greater opportunity, Long relocated to Cincinnati, Ohio, a major commercial center on the Ohio River, where he established a successful law practice and became involved in local Democratic politics.

Political career

Long's political career began at the local level in Cincinnati, where he was active in the Ohio Democratic Party. He was elected as a Democrat to the United States House of Representatives from Ohio's 2nd congressional district in 1862, taking office on March 4, 1863, during the height of the American Civil War. In the 38th United States Congress, he quickly aligned himself with the anti-war faction of his party, opposing the Emancipation Proclamation and the expansion of federal power under the Lincoln administration. His district, which included parts of Hamilton County, had significant economic ties to the Southern United States and contained a sizable population sympathetic to the Copperhead cause.

Civil War and Copperhead stance

Long emerged as a leading Copperhead voice in Congress, delivering a particularly incendiary speech on April 8, 1864. In it, he declared the war a failure and openly advocated for recognizing the independence of the Confederate States of America, arguing that the Union could never be restored by force. This speech provoked immediate outrage among the Republican majority and many War Democrats. In response, the House of Representatives introduced a resolution of censure, spearheaded by Representative James A. Garfield of Ohio. After a heated debate, the House voted on April 14, 1864, to censure Long for "treasonable utterances," with many members, including future President Rutherford B. Hayes, voting in favor. This action placed him alongside fellow Copperhead Clement Vallandigham as a symbol of Northern dissent.

Later life and death

After failing to win re-election in 1864, being defeated by Rutherford B. Hayes, Long returned to his legal practice in Cincinnati, Ohio. He remained a respected attorney and continued to be involved in Democratic political circles, though he never again held elected office. Long lived to see the post-war Reconstruction era and the political realignments of the Gilded Age. He died in Cincinnati on November 28, 1886, and was interred in Spring Grove Cemetery, a resting place for many notable citizens of the city.

Legacy and historical assessment

Historians remember Alexander Long as an exemplar of the extreme Copperhead position, whose advocacy for peace at any cost, including disunion, tested the limits of wartime political dissent. His censure by the House of Representatives remains a significant episode in the history of congressional authority and freedom of speech during national crisis. While reviled by contemporaries as a traitor by many in the North, his career is studied to understand the depth of anti-war sentiment in the Border States and the political divisions within the Democratic Party. His life reflects the intense conflicts over civil liberties, war aims, and national identity that defined the American Civil War era.

Category:1816 births Category:1886 deaths Category:American Copperheads Category:Members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio Category:Ohio Democrats Category:People from Cincinnati Category:People from Greenville, Pennsylvania Category:Jefferson College (Pennsylvania) alumni