Carlos E. Dexter
Carlos E. Dexter | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1842 Three Rivers, Michigan, U.S. |
| Occupation | White House Chief Usher |
Carlos E. Dexter, Jr. (born 1842 — ?) was an American civil servant who served a Chief Usher of the White House in Washington, D.C., from March 1893 to December 1895.
Life and career
He was born in Three Rivers, Michigan,[1] about 1842. He served in the American Civil War as a soldier in Company G of the 6th Michigan Volunteer Infantry Regiment, but was discharged on June 6, 1863, after being severely wounded.[2] Although his rank at the time of his discharge is not known,[2] he probably remained in the Michigan reserves. Press reports later in life listed his final rank as captain.[3] He married Adelia Dexter, and had several children, including daughters Birdie, Adelia (or "Addie"), and Maude and sons Carlos, Jr., George, and Paul.[4] Nothing is known of his upbringing or education.
By at least 1883, Dexter had become sheriff of St. Joseph County in Michigan,[5] a position he held until at least 1887.[6] He left this position between 1888 and early 1890, but in late March 1890 was appointed town marshal of the city of Three Rivers, Michigan.[7]
At some point after 1890, Dexter became an inspector for the United States Post Office Department in Washington, D.C. The patronage position was obtained from him by Henry T. Thurber, private secretary to President Grover Cleveland, and Donald M. Dickinson, United States Postmaster General.[8] (Both were from Michigan, which explains the tie to Dexter.) But Dexter resigned this position in early August 1889.[9]
Dexter was appointed chief usher of the White House on March 20, 1893.[1] His tenure there was exceptionally brief, lasting until his resignation on December 3, 1895.[8]
Dexter's resignation was prompted by his reappointment as a postal inspector.[8] Dexter moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where in January 1896 he broke a postal fraud ring involving the United States Merchant Marine.[10]
Nothing is known of his later life or career, although it is certain he was still alive in October 1918.[4]
References
- ^ a b "A New Chief Usher". The Evening Star. March 20, 1893. p. 5.
- ^ a b Johnson, Crisfield (1880). History of Allegan and Barry Counties, Michigan, With Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Their Prominent Men and Pioneers. Philadelphia: D.W. Ensign & Co. p. 94.
- ^ "The Greetings of the New Year, 1894". The Evening Star. January 1, 1894. p. 1.
- ^ a b "Wills Filed". Brooklyn Daily Standard Union. October 3, 1918.
- ^ Michigan Department of State (1884). Eleventh Annual Abstract of the Reports of Sheriffs Relating to the Jails in the State of Michigan for the Year Ending September 30, 1883. Lansing, Mich.: W.S. George & Co. p. 39.
- ^ Michigan Department of State (1888). Fourteenth Annual Abstract of the Reports of Sheriffs Relating to the Jails in the State of Michigan for the Year Ending September 30, 1886. Lansing, Mich.: W.S. George & Co. p. 40.
- ^ "Current Events". The Piqua Daily Call. March 24, 1890. p. 5.
- ^ a b c "Capt. Dexter's Resignation". The Evening Star. December 4, 1895. p. 1.
- ^ "Resigned". The Evening Star. August 9, 1889. p. 1; "General Notes". The Indianapolis Journal. August 10, 1889. p. 2.
- ^ "Postal Inspector Dexter Gathers In the Whole Official Force of the Merchant's Secret Service System". The Times From Philadelphia. January 4, 1896. p. 9.