Monroe was born in Hampshire County, Virginia (present-day West Virginia) in 1817. At the age of 18, he and his siblings were orphaned and he became a schoolteacher to provide for the education of his brothers and sisters. He later became a county surveyor, and studied jurisprudence. Monroe was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates (1850–1851), during which time he participated in the 1851 reform of the Constitution of Virginia. He was admitted to the Virginia bar in 1858 and in 1861, he purchased the Virginia Argus and Hampshire Advertiser newspaper, which he operated until the onset of the American Civil War.
In 1861, Monroe commanded the 114th Regiment of the Virginia militia with the rank of colonel; he was the oldest person in that commissioned rank within the state's militia. The 114th Regiment took part in several skirmishes in Hampshire County. Following the regiment's disbandment, Monroe volunteered and raised a battalionofcavalry within the 18th Virginia Volunteer Cavalry Regiment of the regular Confederate States Army. He later commanded the rear guard during the withdrawal of Confederate forces under the command of GeneralRobert E. Lee from the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863, successfully protecting the 27-mile (43 km)-long wagon train. Monroe served in the Virginia House of Delegates throughout the Civil War.
Monroe returned to the practice of law and in 1872 was a participant in the West Virginia Constitutional Convention. From 1875 to 1877, he was a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates and was twice elected speaker. He was the first delegate to represent Hampshire County in both the Virginia General Assembly and the West Virginia Legislature. Monroe was twice appointed as a director of the West Virginia Hospital for the Insane. He again served in the West Virginia House of Delegates from 1879 to 1883. Monroe retired to his farm on the Little Cacapon River and died in 1905.
Alexander W. Monroe was born on December 29, 1817, in Hampshire County, Virginia (now West Virginia), and was the oldest child of Robert and Elizabeth Monroe.[1][2][3] His parents were of Scottishdescent.[4] Monroe's great uncle, Dr. John Monroe, was an early physician and Baptistminister in Hampshire County.[5] Monroe had four younger brothers and two sisters: Robert W. Monroe, James W. Monroe, J. Walker Monroe, Marion Monroe, a Mrs. Snapp, and Sarah Ann Monroe Garrett.[6][7] His brother, Robert W. Monroe, was later appointed by United States President Grover Cleveland as an Indian agentinIdaho.[8]
At the age of 18, Monroe and his siblings were orphaned, and Monroe took responsibility for the rearing and education of his four younger brothers and two sisters.[1][6] To accomplish this feat, he taught school during the winter months, and worked the family's farm during the growing season.[1][9][10]
Monroe and Job N. Cookus purchased the Virginia Argus and Hampshire Advertiser newspaper in Romney in 1861.[10][16][17] During their joint ownership, the offices for the Virginia Argus and Hampshire Advertiser were located in an old stone building that formerly housed the Romney Academy behind the Hampshire County Courthouse.[18] Monroe and Cookus continued serving as its editors and publishers until the Union Army closed down the Advertiser's offices in August 1861, after which the newspaper was not revived.[6][10][16]
Monroe remained the commanding officer of the 114th Regiment until its disbandment by the Congress of the Confederate States in April 1862.[4][6][20] While serving in the Confederate States Army, Monroe completed another term as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates between 1862 and 1865.[1][2][12] He participated in the Virginia General Assembly for each legislative session conducted during wartime, returning to his military duties following each session's adjournment.[1]
Following the passage of the Conscription Bill by the Confederate States Congress, Monroe volunteered and raised a battalionofcavalry within the 18th Virginia Volunteer Cavalry Regiment of the regular Confederate States Army. He was elected major of the 18th Virginia Cavalry, which was known as the North Western Brigade, shortly after its creation.[10][12][21] While he served in the 18th Virginia Cavalry, it was under the command of Brigadier General John D. Imboden.[23]
Monroe was later in command of the rear guard during the withdrawal of Confederate forces under the command of GeneralRobert E. Lee from the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863. In this capacity, Monroe successfully protected the 27-mile (43 km)-long wagon train.[4][6][10] Monroe fought for the Confederate Army throughout the duration of the war, until 1865.[4] Following the war, he was paroled by Union authorities.[2][12][24]
Monroe again served as a member of the House of Delegates representing Hampshire County from 1879 to 1883.[1][28][29] He was nominated for the house speakership but lost to George H. Moffet.[34] In 1881, Monroe was a member of the Joint Revisory Committee, which was charged with amending the laws and statutes of the West Virginia Code.[1][35]
Throughout his political career, Monroe continued to engage in the practice of law in Romney. In 1887 he and Samuel Lightfoot Flournoy were the defense attorneys for Annie Offner, who had been accused of murdering her lover Benjamin Brooks.[36]
During his later years, Monroe resided on his farm on the Little Cacapon River in the Barnes Mill community of Hampshire County.[4][6][10] Monroe succumbed to heart failure and died the night of March 16, 1905, at his home near Romney.[10][11][38] Monroe was survived by his second wife Margaret and their four children.[6][10] Monroe is interred with his wife Margaret at Indian Mound Cemetery in Romney.[39]
In 1852, Monroe married his first wife, Sarah A. French, daughter of John and Eleanor French. Monroe and his wife Sarah had one son, James W. Monroe.[4] Following Sarah's death, Monroe married his second wife, Margaret Ellen Pugh, daughter of Benjamin and Sarah Pugh, on November 21, 1866.[3][4][6] Monroe and Margaret had at least four children:[4][6][11]
Robert Pugh Monroe (October 14, 1867 – 1924), married Elwilda Idelle Kidner on March 20, 1906[40][41]
Sallie Elizabeth Monroe Haines (born October 20, 1869), married Charles William Haines on January 31, 1893[42][43]
Ellen G. Monroe Tharp, married Wilbur L. Tharp on November 29, 1899[44]