Alphonso Hart was a Republican politician from the U.S. State

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Ohio

Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

 who was a U.S. Representative

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

, in the Ohio State Senate, and Ohio Lieutenant Governor.

Hart was born in Vienna, Ohio. His father died when he was age twelve, and he was bound out to a farmer for three years. After seven months he started out alone. Hart attended the common schools and Grand River Institute

Grand River Academy

Grand River Academy, formerly known as the Ashtabula County Institute of Science and Industry and then the Grand River Institute, is a private, nonsectarian, boarding high school for boys located in Austinburg, Ohio...

, Austinburg, Ohio

Austinburg, Ohio

Austinburg is a census-designated place in northern Austinburg Township, Ashtabula County, Ohio, United States. Although it is unincorporated, it has a post office, with the ZIP code of 44010. It lies at the intersection of State Routes 45 and 307....

, and studied law in Warren, Ohio

Warren, Ohio

As of the census of 2000, there were 46,832 people, 19,288 households and 12,035 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,912.4 people per square mile . There were 21,279 housing units at an average density of 1,322.9 per square mile...

. He was admitted to the bar

Admission to the bar in the United States

In the United States, admission to the bar is the granting of permission by a particular court system to a lawyer to practice law in that system. Each U.S. state and similar jurisdiction has its own court system and sets its own rules for bar admission , which can lead to different admission...

 August 12, 1851. He moved to New Lisbon, Ohio

Lisbon, Ohio

Lisbon is a village in Center Township, Columbiana County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,788 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Columbiana County.-History:...

, remained two years, and was then elected Assistant Clerk of the Ohio House of Representatives

Ohio House of Representatives

The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio; the other house of the bicameral legislature being the Ohio Senate....

. He purchased the Democratic newspaper "Portage Sentinel" in Ravenna, Ohio

Ravenna, Ohio

* Chris Bangle; automobile designer* Bill Bower, last surviving pilot of the Doolittle Raid* David D. Busch; best-selling author* William Rufus Day; U.S. Supreme Court justice* Calvin Hampton; Classical organist* Robert B...

, which he edited until he sold it in 1857. He also practiced in Ravenna. He served as prosecuting attorney for Portage County

Portage County, Ohio

Portage County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 152,061 at the 2000 Census and 161,419 at the 2010 Census. Its county seat is Ravenna. Portage County is named for the portage between the Cuyahoga and Tuscarawas Rivers...

 from 1861 to 1864, when he resigned. He served as member of the Ohio Senate

Ohio Senate

The Ohio State Senate is the upper house of the Ohio General Assembly, the legislative body for the U.S. state of Ohio. There are 33 State Senators. The state legislature meets in the state capital, Columbus. The President of the Senate presides over the body when in session, and is currently Tom...

 1865, 1872, and 1873, and was the 11th Lieutenant Governor of Ohio

Lieutenant Governor of Ohio

The position of lieutenant governor of Ohio was established in 1852. The lieutenant governor becomes governor if the governor resigns, dies in office or is removed by impeachment. Before 1852, the president of the Ohio State Senate would serve as acting governor if a vacancy in the governorship...

 1873-1875. Presidential elector for Grant

Ulysses S. Grant

Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...

/Wilson

Henry Wilson

Henry Wilson was the 18th Vice President of the United States and a Senator from Massachusetts...

 in 1872. In 1874 he moved to Cleveland, Ohio

Cleveland, Ohio

Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...

, and in 1878 to Hillsboro, Ohio

Hillsboro, Ohio

Hillsboro is a city in and the county seat of Highland County, Ohio, United States. The population was 6,605 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Hillsboro is located at ....

. In 1880 he was nominated for the Forty-seventh Congress

47th United States Congress

The Forty-seventh United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1881 to March 4, 1883, during the administration...

 in the seventh district

Ohio's 7th congressional district

Ohio's 7th congressional district is currently represented by Steve Austria. This district includes the cities of Springfield, Circleville, and Lancaster as well as some of the southern suburbs of Columbus and nearby counties.-List of representatives:...

 but lost to John P. Leedom

John P. Leedom

For the Texas state senator from Dallas, see John N. Leedom.John Peter Leedom was a U.S. Representative from Ohio....

.

Hart was elected as a Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 to the Forty-eighth Congress

48th United States Congress

The Forty-eighth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1883 to March 4, 1885, during the last two years...

 in the 12th district

Ohio's 12th congressional district

Ohio's 12th congressional district is currently represented by Republican Representative Patrick J. Tiberi. This district includes the heavily African-American part of Ohio's capital city, Columbus, Ohio along with its northern suburbs, including Westerville, Ohio.Historically it has been a safe...

 (March 4, 1883-March 3, 1885). He was an unsuccessful candidate for election to the Forty-ninth Congress

49th United States Congress

The Forty-ninth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1885 to March 4, 1887, during the first two years...

. He served as Solicitor of Internal Revenue, Treasury Department

United States Department of the Treasury

The Department of the Treasury is an executive department and the treasury of the United States federal government. It was established by an Act of Congress in 1789 to manage government revenue...

 from 1888 to 1892. He resumed the practice of law in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

, and died there December 23, 1910. He was interred in Maple Grove Cemetery, Ravenna, Ohio.