author
Alexander K. (Alexander Kelly) McClure
1828–1909
A self-taught newspaper editor who became a force in Pennsylvania politics, he moved through the Civil War era as a legislator, journalist, and close observer of national leaders. He later turned those experiences into popular books and memoirs filled with political insight and firsthand stories.
2 Audiobooks
Lincoln's yarns and stories : A complete collection of the funny and witty anecdotes that made Lincoln famous as America's greatest story teller
by Alexander K. (Alexander Kelly) McClure
Our Presidents and how we make them
by Alexander K. (Alexander Kelly) McClure
About the author
Born in Sherman’s Dale, Pennsylvania, in 1828, Alexander Kelly McClure had little formal schooling and built his career largely through self-education. He worked as a tanner and teacher before entering journalism, editing papers including the Juniata Sentinel and later becoming a prominent newspaper editor in Pennsylvania.
McClure was also active in public life. He served in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and State Senate, supported the Republican Party in its early years, and held a Civil War appointment as a major and assistant adjutant general. He became especially well known in Philadelphia through his long newspaper career and his influence in state and national politics.
In later life, he wrote extensively about the people and events he had witnessed, including Abraham Lincoln and the political world of the nineteenth century. His books, memoirs, and recollections helped preserve an insider’s view of American politics, journalism, and the Civil War generation.