Alexander C. McClurg

Alexander Caldwell McClurg (September 9, 1832 – April 15, 1901) was an American bookseller and military adviser from Pennsylvania. He was raised in Pittsburgh, where his father owned a prosperous foundry. Graduating from Miami University, McClurg briefly studied law before moving to Chicago, Illinois, to join a bookselling house. During the Civil War, McClurg served as a captain with the 88th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment. After his advisory skills were noticed by General Alexander McDowell McCook, McClurg spent the rest of the war as an adviser to various generals. His most prominent position was as Chief of Staff and Adjunct General to Major General Jefferson C. Davis and the XIV Corps. After the war, McClurg returned to his bookselling house as a junior partner. McClurg eventually became senior partner and the house became known as A. C. McClurg & Co.

Biography Early life Alexander Caldwell McClurg was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on September 9, 1832, but was raised in Pittsburgh. His father, Alex McClurg, built the Fort Pitt Foundry in Pittsburgh. McClurg attended the Western University of Pennsylvania (now known as the University of Pittsburgh)until its operation was suspended due to a series of fires. He then graduated from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. He then studied law under Walter H. Lowrie, the Chief Justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. However, McClurg's declining health caused him to stop the pursuit of law and he instead turned to mercantile pursuits. He moved to Chicago, Illinois, in 1859 and joined the book-house of S. C. Griggs & Co., the leading house in the city.

Civil War Upon the outbreak of the Civil War, McClurg enlisted as a private in Company D of the 16th Regiment Illinois State Militia. However, the regiment was deemed unnecessary and it was disbanded after a few months. McClurg briefly returned to S. C. Griggs & Co. before enlisting after a second call for troops. McClurg helped to raise a regiment called the Crosby Guards, which were merged into the 88th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment, also known as the Second Chicago Board of Trade Regiment. McClurg was named a captain under Col. Francis Trowbridge Sherman. Within a month, the regiment saw action at the Battle of Perryville. The A. C. McClurg & Co. was destroyed in an 1899 fire, but McClurg financed its reconstruction. The new structure, designed by Holabird & Roche, is now recognized as a historic place. At the time of his death, A. C. McClurg & Co. was the largest book and stationery house in the West and was among the largest in the country.

Personal life

McClurg married Eleanor Wheeler, the niece of first Mayor of Chicago William B. Ogden, in 1877. They had two children, though one died in infancy. McClurg served terms as president of the Chicago Literary Club and the Commercial Club of Chicago. He served as vice president of the Chicago Historical Society and the University Club of Chicago.