Henry Harrison Aplin

Henry Harrison “Tip” Aplin (April 15, 1841 – July 23, 1910) was an American Civil War veteran, businessman, and Republican politician from the U.S. state of Michigan. He served one term in the United States House of Representatives from 1901 to 1903, representing Michigan’s 10th congressional district during a significant period in American political and economic development.

Aplin was born in Thetford Township, Genesee County, Michigan, on April 15, 1841. In 1848 he moved with his parents to Flint, Michigan, where he attended the public schools. His early years in a growing Michigan community coincided with the rapid development of the state’s lumber and transportation industries, environments that would later shape his business and political interests.

With the outbreak of the American Civil War, Aplin entered military service for the Union. He enlisted on July 3, 1861, in Company C of the Sixteenth Regiment, Michigan Volunteer Infantry. He served throughout the war until July 16, 1865, rising to the rank of second lieutenant. His four years of continuous service placed him among the many Michigan volunteers who participated in major campaigns of the conflict, and his veteran status remained an important part of his public identity in later life.

After the war, Aplin returned to Michigan and settled in Wenona, a community that later became West Bay City and is now part of Bay City. There he engaged in mercantile pursuits, participating in the commercial growth of the region. He entered public service at the local level, serving as township clerk and township treasurer, each for three years, reflecting the confidence of his neighbors in his administrative abilities. He was appointed postmaster of West Bay City in November 1869, a position he held until June 1886, overseeing federal postal operations during a period of expanding population and commerce. A committed Republican, he was chosen as a delegate to the 1884 Republican National Convention in Chicago, taking part in the national party deliberations of that year.

Aplin’s state-level political career advanced when he was elected auditor general of Michigan in 1886 and re-elected in 1888. In this statewide office he was responsible for important fiscal and auditing functions, aligning him closely with the financial administration of the state government. At the same time, he became interested in the emerging field of electric transportation. He took part in the construction of the electric railways of West Bay City and served as general manager of those lines until 1891, helping to introduce and manage a modern transit system in the community. He later served as a member of the Michigan House of Representatives in 1894 and 1895, further extending his influence in state legislation. Returning to federal service at the local level, he was again appointed postmaster of West Bay City, serving from October 1, 1898, to June 1902.

Aplin entered national office following the death of Representative Rousseau O. Crump. Running as a Republican, he was elected from Michigan’s 10th congressional district to the Fifty-seventh Congress to fill the resulting vacancy. He served in the United States House of Representatives from October 15, 1901, to March 3, 1903. During his one term in Congress, Aplin participated in the legislative process as a member of the Republican Party, representing the interests of his Michigan constituents at a time marked by industrial expansion, debates over regulation, and the nation’s growing international role. His service in Congress formed part of his broader career in public life, in which he consistently aligned with Republican policies and priorities. He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1902, losing in the Republican primary to George A. Loud.

Following his departure from Congress, Aplin returned to private life in Michigan. He engaged in agricultural pursuits, reflecting the continued importance of farming in the state’s economy, and he also became interested in the manufacture of ice, a growing industry in the pre-refrigeration era that served both domestic and commercial needs. These activities complemented his earlier experience in mercantile business and transportation.

Henry Harrison Aplin died in Bay City, Michigan, on July 23, 1910, at the age of 69. He was interred in Elm Lawn Cemetery in Bay City. His life encompassed service as a Civil War officer, local and state official, businessman, and one-term member of the United States House of Representatives, marking him as a notable figure in Michigan’s political and civic history in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.