Alexander Gilmore Cochran

Alexander Gilmore Cochran (March 20, 1846 – May 1, 1928) was an American attorney and one-term Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania. Born in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania (now part of Pittsburgh), he grew up in western Pennsylvania at a time of rapid industrial and urban development. He attended both private and public schools in Pennsylvania, laying the foundation for a career that would combine legal practice, politics, and corporate leadership.

Cochran pursued advanced preparatory studies at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, one of the leading secondary institutions in the United States. He subsequently studied law at Columbia Law School in New York City, where he received formal legal training in a period when the American legal profession was becoming increasingly professionalized. After completing his legal studies, he was admitted to the bar in 1866 and commenced the practice of law in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

As a member of the Democratic Party representing Pennsylvania, Cochran entered national politics in the mid-1870s. He was elected as a Democrat to the Forty-fourth Congress, serving a single term in the U.S. House of Representatives. During this significant period in American history, in the decade following the Civil War and Reconstruction, he participated in the legislative process and represented the interests of his Pennsylvania constituents in the federal government. His service in Congress reflected the concerns of a rapidly industrializing region and the broader debates of the era over economic policy and federal authority.

Cochran was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1876 and therefore concluded his congressional service after one term. Following his departure from the House of Representatives, he resumed the practice of law in Pittsburgh. His post-congressional legal work continued to build on his experience as an attorney and former legislator, positioning him for later roles in the expanding railroad industry.

In 1879 Cochran moved to St. Louis, Missouri, where he embarked on a long and influential career in railroad law and corporate administration. He spent more than twenty years as general solicitor for the Missouri Pacific Railway Company and head of its legal department in the West, overseeing complex legal matters for a major transportation enterprise during a formative period in the growth of the American rail network. He also served as vice president of the Missouri Pacific and Iron Mountain Railway, further solidifying his status as a leading railroad executive and legal strategist in the region.

In addition to his corporate responsibilities, Cochran held a military-legal post in Missouri. He served as judge advocate with the rank of lieutenant colonel in the Missouri National Guard, combining his legal expertise with service in the state’s military organization. Alexander Gilmore Cochran died in St. Louis on May 1, 1928, and was interred in Bellefontaine Cemetery, closing a life that spanned the Civil War era through the early twentieth century and encompassed significant contributions to law, politics, and the railroad industry.