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Amherst B. Cheney
Member of the Michigan House of Representatives
from the Kent County 3rd district
In office
1877–1880
Preceded byEdward L. Briggs
Succeeded byHeman Palmerlee
Personal details
Born(1841-10-27)October 27, 1841
Ripley, Ohio, U.S.
DiedJanuary 9, 1927(1927-01-09) (aged 85)
Sparta, Michigan, U.S.
Political party Prohibition
Other political
affiliations		 Republican (before 1884)
Spouse
Emmogene Hinman
​
( m. 1869)​
Military service
Branch/serviceU.S. Army ( Union Army)
Years of service1862–1865
Unit 21st Michigan Infantry Regiment
Battles/wars American Civil War

Amherst B. Cheney (October 27, 1841 – January 9, 1927) was an American politician.

Early life and military career

Amherst B. Cheney was born on October 27, 1841, in Ripley, Ohio to parents Abner J. and Sarah Cheney. [1] His father was born in Vermont before serving as a minister in Ohio, and his mother was from New York. He moved with his father to a farm in Homer, Michigan in 1845. [2] Cheney received a common school education. [3] He moved to Sparta, Michigan in 1858. [2]

On September 4, 1862, Cheney voluntarily enlisted in the 21st Michigan Infantry Regiment as quartermaster sergeant. [1] He was promoted to second lieutenant in 1864. [4] On March 19, 1865, he was severely wounded in Bentonville, North Carolina while commanding Company B. He returned to duty after his recovery. He was mustered out on June 8, 1865. [1]

Career

After the Civil War, Cheney was engaged in a number of businesses, including insurance and real estate. [3] By 1869, Cheney was working as a beekeeper. [1] By 1876, Cheney had served in the local political offices of justice of the peace and town treasurer. [3] In 1876, Cheney was elected to the Michigan House of Representatives seat representing the Kent County 3rd district, on the Republican ticket. He was re-elected in 1878. [4]

As a Republican, Cheney was a strong advocate of the prohibition of alcohol. In 1884, Cheney became a member of the Prohibition Party. [5] The same year, Cheney was nominated by the Prohbitionists for Michigan State Treasurer. [6] In 1886, Cheney ran for the Michigan Senate seat representing the 20th district. [5] [7] He was nominated for the board of regents of the University of Michigan in 1887. [8] In 1888, was nominated by the Prohibitionists for governor. [4]

In 1894, Cheney, as a private banker, was sued by multiple people for embezzlement. [9] [10] In March 1894, Cheney confessed in probate court to double selling a mortgage to a mentally incapable widow whom he was guardian over. [11]

Cheney again ran for the state senate, the 17th district, in 1910. He ran for Michigan's 5th district in the United States House of Representatives in 1912 and 1916. [12] [13]

Personal life

Cheney married Emmogene Hinman on December 2, 1869, in Sparta. [1] [4] In 1899, Cheney was suspended from the Freemasons for non-payment of dues. [14]

Death

After three years of illness, Cheney died on January 9, 1927, in his Sparta home. [15] He was buried in Greenwood Cemetery in Sparta on January 12. [4] [16]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Civil War Letters". Sparta Township Historical Commission. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
  2. ^ a b C. C. Chapman & Company (1881). History of Kent County, Michigan. p. 1332.
  3. ^ a b c Michigan manual. 1877-78. 1877. p. 659.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Legislator Details - Amherst B. Cheney". Library of Michigan. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
  5. ^ a b "The Peninsular Canvass". Detroit Free Press. July 24, 1886. p. 4. Retrieved October 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Political". Detroit Free Press. September 28, 1884. p. 12. Retrieved October 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ Michigan manual. 1887-88. 1887. p. 604.
  8. ^ "The Prohibitionists". Detroit Free Press. February 25, 1887. p. 4. Retrieved October 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "A Banker Sued". Detroit Free Press. January 25, 1894. p. 3. Retrieved October 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Charged with Embezzlement". Livingston County Daily Press and Argus. March 8, 1894. p. 5. Retrieved October 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Confesses to Fraud". The Homer Index. March 21, 1894. p. 1. Retrieved October 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Cheney". Political Graveyard. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
  13. ^ Michigan manual. 1913-14. 1913. p. 452.
  14. ^ Grand Lodge of Michigan (1899). Transactions of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons, of the State of Michigan. p. 157.
  15. ^ "Former Legislator Dead". Lansing State Journal. January 10, 1927. p. 7. Retrieved October 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "Around The State". The Herald-Palladium. January 11, 1927. p. 12. Retrieved October 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
Party political offices
Preceded by Prohibition nominee for Governor of Michigan
1888 		Succeeded by
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