George W. Aldridge papers

George Washington Aldridge (II) was born on December 28, 1856 in Michigan City, Indiana and died on June 6, 1922 in New York City. His father, also George Washington Aldridge, moved the family to Rochester from Indiana when George (II) was young. [Note - George Washington Aldridge (II), the subject of this collection, was never referred to as Junior. His son, the third member of the family to bear the name, would be called Junior.] The eldest George quickly became known as both a noted contractor and builder, and as a leader in Rochester's Republican Party, serving as interim Mayor in 1873. After attending school in Rochester, both public and the De Graff Military Institute, and at the Cary Collegiate Seminary in Oakfield, Genesee County, George (II) would follow in his father's footsteps in both business and politics. Managing the family business alongside his father until his death in 1877, George (II) would enter politics in 1883 as a member of the Executive Board of the City of Rochester. He was re-elected to the board four times, serving as its chairman in 1885.

Nominated for Mayor of Rochester in 1894, Aldridge was elected on March 6 of that year, serving until he was appointed state superintendent of public works on January 1, 1895, a position he held until 1899 under Governors Morton and Black. From 1902 to 1907, Aldridge would serve on the State Railroad Commission, becoming chairman in 1907 but losing his office upon the creation of the state Public Service Commission that same year. In 1910, Aldridge ran for Congress in a special election prompted by the death of James Breck Perkins, but lost to James S. Havens.

Aldridge was a leader in the Republican Party at both the local and state level. A member of the Republican State Committe from 1888 to his death, he served on the executive committee for much of that time. He also acted as a delegate to every Republican National Convention from 1896 to 1920, and was a leading figure in the nomination of Warren G. Harding for the presidency in 1920. In response, Harding nominated Aldridge to be Collector of the Port of New York, a position Aldridge held at the time of his death.

Outside of politics, Aldridge stayed involved in the building trades for much of his life, serving as president of the American Clay and Cement Corporation, a major New York building supply company, in 1913. He also served as a director of the Lincoln-Alliance Bank. He was noted for interest in fire protection, especially as a member of the Executive Board, and was a member of the volunteer Alert House Company in the late 1870s and 1880s. He was affiliated with many social and professional groups, including the Chamber of Commerce, multiple Masonic orders, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and the Knights of Pythias. He belonged to the Genesee Valley, Rochester, Rochester Athletic, Masonic, Oak Hill and Rochester Country Clubs, along with the Rochester Historical Society and the Sons of the American Revolution. In New York City, he was a member of the Lotos, Republican and Lawyers' Clubs. George W. Aldridge (II) was married to Mary Josephine Mack, of Rochester, with whom he had one son, George Washington Aldridge, Jr.