Caldwell, Alexander, financier and United States senator, was born at Drake's Ferry, Huntington county, Pa., March I, 1830. He received a common school education, and in the Mexican war served as a private in the company commanded by his father, Capt. James Caldwell, who was killed in action at the City of Mexico on Sept. 13, 1847. From 1853 to 1861 Mr. CaIdwell was an officer in a bank at Columbia, Pa., and for the next ten years was engaged in transporting military supplies to western posts, and in building railroads in Kansas. In 1871 he was elected to the United States senate to succeed Edmund G. Ross, but resigned in 1873. He then organized the Kansas Manufacturing company, for the manufacture of wagons and farm implements, and was president of the company from 1877 to 1897. He was one of the organizers of the Oregon Land Improvement company in 1882, to locate town sites and construct irrigating canals along the Oregon Short Line (now the Union Pacific) railroad. In 1897 he acquired a large block of stock in the First National bank of Leavenworth, and since then has been the president of that institution.