Alexander Henry

Alexander Henry (April 14, 1823 – December 6, 1883) was an American politician who served three terms as mayor of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from 1858 to 1865. He was elected as a member of the People's Party but served his second and third terms as a member of the Republican Party. He implemented major increases and improvements to the Philadelphia Police Department. During the American Civil War, he was a staunch supporter of the Union but worked to suppress violence against Confederate sympathizers in the city and helped organize civilians to assist in constructing earthworks to defend the city during the 1863 Gettysburg Campaign. Biography Henry was born on April 14, 1823, in Philadelphia, one of five children to John Snowden Henry and Elizabeth (Bayard) Henry. His father died when Henry was 12 years old. He was educated at the Germantown Academy and graduated with high honors from Princeton University in 1840. He studied law, passed his bar exam in 1844, and established a prosperous legal firm. He served as inspector of the Custom House from 1845 to 1846, as Secretary to the Board of Directors at Girard College and as Secretary of the House of Refuge. He became active in local politics, was a member of the Whig party and represented the Seventh Ward on the City Council from 1856 to 1857. In the 1858 Philadelphia mayoral election, Henry defeated the incumbent Richard Vaux and was elected as a member of the People's Party. Henry took office on May 11. Among his platforms was strong support for the city's proposed system of public transportation, including streetcars. The Act of Consolidation, 1854, resulted in a disjointed and disorganized police force. He implemented changes to the organization of the Philadelphia police force which required testing applicants rather than the political appointment process that was used previously. He increased the size of the police force, implemented a beat patrolling system and initiated the first detective department in the Philadelphia Police Department history. Henry switched to the Republican Party and won reelection in the 1860 Philadelphia mayoral election against John Robbins Jr.