Alexander Biddle

Alexander Biddle
Alexander Biddle
	Colonel Alexander Biddle
Born	April 29, 1819; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	May 2, 1899 (aged 80); Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Place of burial	Laurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Allegiance	United States
Branch	Union army
Battles / wars	American Civil War Battle of Fredericksburg; Battle of Chancellorsville; Battle of Gettysburg; Battle of Bristoe Station; ;
Relations	Clement Biddle (grandfather)
	Show more

Alexander Williams Biddle (April 29, 1819 – May 2, 1899) was an American businessman from Pennsylvania. He was a member of the prominent and wealthy Biddle family and the grandson of American Revolutionary War soldier Clement Biddle.^[1] He served as an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War and fought in some of the key battles of the war.

Early life and education

Biddle was born on April 29, 1819, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Thomas A. and Christine Williams Biddle.^[2]

He received his early education from the school of Sears C. Walker in Philadelphia. He entered the University of Pennsylvania in 1834 and graduated in 1838. After graduation, he worked for the Bevan and Humphreys shipping firm in Philadelphia until 1842.^[3] In 1848, he joined his father's company, Thomas Biddle & Co., where he worked until the beginning of the Civil War.^[2]

Civil war

In 1849, he joined the first troop of the Philadelphia City Cavalry, in which he served until 1858.

On September 1, 1862, he joined the 121st Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry and served under his cousin, Chapman Biddle. He served successively as a major, lieutenant colonel, and colonel.^[4] He fought at the Battle of Fredericksburg, the Battle of Chancellorsville, the Battle of Gettysburg (under Abner Doubleday)^[5]^[6] and the Battle of Bristoe Station.

His name is inscribed on the 121st Pennsylvania's monument along South Reynolds Avenue in the Gettysburg National Military Park.

Business career

After the war, he retired from Thomas Biddle & Company, and in 1874, he was named a director of the Pennsylvania Railroad. He also served as a director for the Philadelphia Savings Fund Company, the Pennsylvania Company for Insurance on Lives and Granting Annuities, the Lehigh Navigation Company, and the Contributionship Insurance Company.^[7] He served as president of the Board of City Trusts and as a member of the board of managers of the Pennsylvania Hospital.^[8] He was an executor of the estate of James Rush (1786–1869) and was instrumental in the construction of the Ridgway Library (part of the Library Company of Philadelphia).^[7]

Personal life

In 1855, he married Julia Williams Rush, the granddaughter of Benjamin Rush, and together they had seven children.^[9]

He was a member of the American Philosophical Society, the Franklin Institute, the Academy of Natural Sciences, and the Pennsylvania Society of Sons of the Revolution.^[10]

He died on May 2, 1899, in Philadelphia and was interred at Laurel Hill Cemetery.^[11]

References

^ "Alexander Biddle family papers". www.archives.dickinson.edu. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
^ ^a ^b "Biddle family papers". University of Delaware Library. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
^ Scharf, J. Thomas (1884). History of Philadelphia, 1609-1884. Philadelphia: L.H. Everts & Co. p. 1949. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
^ Jordan, John W. (1978). Colonial and Revolutionary Families of Pennsylvania. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, Inc. p. 184. ISBN 0-8063-0811-7. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
^ Kerry Webb (June 1997). "Union Order of Battle: Army of the Potomac". Gettysburg Discussion Group. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
^ John Heiser. "Union Order of Battle: Army of the Potomac". National Park Service. Archived from the original on February 9, 2007. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
^ ^a ^b "Biddle family papers". University of Delaware Library. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
^ Jordan, John W. (1978). Colonial and Revolutionary Families of Pennsylvania. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, Inc. p. 184. ISBN 0-8063-0811-7. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
^ Meghan Vacca (June 2006). "Biddle Family Papers" (PDF). Historical Society of Pennsylvania. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 March 2011. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
^ Jordan, John W. (1978). Colonial and Revolutionary Families of Pennsylvania. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, Inc. p. 184. ISBN 0-8063-0811-7. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
^ Hunt, Roger D. (2007). Colonels in Blue: Union Army Colonels of the Civil War: The Mid-Atlantic States Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware and the District of Columbia. Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania: Stackpole Books. p. 32. ISBN 978-0-8117-0253-9. Retrieved 2 January 2025.

External links

"Alexander Williams Biddle". Find a Grave. Retrieved March 23, 2011.

[1] "Alexander Biddle family papers". www.archives.dickinson.edu. Retrieved 24 July 2020.

[udel2-2] "Biddle family papers". University of Delaware Library. Retrieved March 23, 2011.

[3] Scharf, J. Thomas (1884). History of Philadelphia, 1609-1884. Philadelphia: L.H. Everts & Co. p. 1949. Retrieved 30 July 2020.

[Jordan2-4] Jordan, John W. (1978). Colonial and Revolutionary Families of Pennsylvania. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, Inc. p. 184. ISBN 0-8063-0811-7. Retrieved 24 July 2020.

[5] Kerry Webb (June 1997). "Union Order of Battle: Army of the Potomac". Gettysburg Discussion Group. Retrieved March 23, 2011.

[6] John Heiser. "Union Order of Battle: Army of the Potomac". National Park Service. Archived from the original on February 9, 2007. Retrieved March 23, 2011.

[udel3-7] "Biddle family papers". University of Delaware Library. Retrieved March 23, 2011.

[Jordan3-8] Jordan, John W. (1978). Colonial and Revolutionary Families of Pennsylvania. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, Inc. p. 184. ISBN 0-8063-0811-7. Retrieved 24 July 2020.

[penn2-9] Meghan Vacca (June 2006). "Biddle Family Papers" (PDF). Historical Society of Pennsylvania. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 March 2011. Retrieved March 23, 2011.

[Jordan4-10] Jordan, John W. (1978). Colonial and Revolutionary Families of Pennsylvania. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, Inc. p. 184. ISBN 0-8063-0811-7. Retrieved 24 July 2020.

[11] Hunt, Roger D. (2007). Colonels in Blue: Union Army Colonels of the Civil War: The Mid-Atlantic States Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware and the District of Columbia. Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania: Stackpole Books. p. 32. ISBN 978-0-8117-0253-9. Retrieved 2 January 2025.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

v t e Gettysburg figures
Confederate leaders	Lee Alexander R. Anderson G. Anderson Archer Armistead Barksdale Benning Brockenbrough Chambliss Daniel Davis Doles Early Ewell Garnett Gordon Hampton Hays Heth Hill Hood Humphreys Imboden Iverson Jenkins Johnson J. Jones W. Jones Kemper Kershaw Lane Law F. Lee W. Lee Longstreet Mahone Marshall McLaws O'Neal Oates Pender Pettigrew Perrin Pickett Posey Ramseur Robertson Rodes Scales Semmes Smith G. Steuart J. E. B. Stuart Thomas Trimble J. Walker R. Walker Wilcox Wofford Wright
Union leaders	Ames Ayres Barlow Barnes Baxter Biddle Birney Buford Caldwell Candy Carpenter Carr J. Chamberlain Claflin Cross Curtin Cushing Custer Cutler Crawford Doubleday Farnsworth Geary Gibbon Gilsa Graham Greene Gregg Hancock Harrow Hays Hooker Howard Humphreys Hunt Kilpatrick Krzyżanowski Lincoln Meade Meredith Merritt Newton Nolan Paul Pleasonton Reynolds Rice Robinson Rowley Ruger Schimmelfennig Schurz Sedgwick Sickles Slocum Stannard Starr Steinwehr Sykes Tilton Tyler Vincent Wadsworth Ward Warren Weed Webb Willard Williams Zook
Other notable military personnel	Alger Avery Baker Belo Berdan Biddle Brooke Brown Bryan Burgwyn Burling Carroll Carter T. Chamberlain Colvill Corby Coster Dearing Devin Ellis Enderlin Lyon Fremantle Fry Gamble Garrard Godwin Goree Gregg Grimes Gwyn Hall Harrison Haskell Hazlett Howell Humiston Jeffords Jones Kelly Keogh Lang Latimer Lewis McCandless McDougall McFarland McIntosh Mayo Melcher Morrill Muhlenberg O'Rorke Pardee Pegram Perrin Poague Salomon Smith Sorrel Spear Stone Taylor Trobriand Wainwright Ward
Local civilians	Broadhead Bryan Burns McClean McConaughy McPherson Wade Wills

Authority control databases
International	ISNI VIAF FAST WorldCat
National	United States Israel Belgium
Other	SNAC Yale LUX

Alexander Biddle

Hub talks

Alexander Biddle

Alexander Biddle

Hub rules

Alexander Biddle

Hub overview

Add your contribution

Inside this hub

Media Collections

Timelines

Articles

Notes collections

Notes

Days in Chronicle

Root Wikipedia Article

Alexander Biddle

Key Information

Early life and education

Civil war

Business career

Personal life

See also

References

External links

Add your contribution

Related Hubs

Alexander Biddle
Colonel Alexander Biddle
Born	(1819-04-29)April 29, 1819 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	May 2, 1899(1899-05-02) (aged 80) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Place of burial	Laurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Allegiance	United States
Branch	Union army
Battles / wars	American Civil War Battle of Fredericksburg Battle of Chancellorsville Battle of Gettysburg Battle of Bristoe Station
Relations	Clement Biddle (grandfather)