Alexander Starne

Alexander Starne
Treasurer of Illinois
In office 1863–1865
Preceded by	William Butler
Succeeded by	James H. Beveridge
12th Illinois Secretary of State
In office 1853–1857
Preceded by	David L. Gregg
Succeeded by	Ozias M. Hatch
Personal details
Born	November 21, 1813 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Died	March 31, 1886 (aged 73) Springfield, Illinois
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Elvira S. Swetland
Profession	Merchant

Alexander Starne (November 21, 1813 – March 31, 1886) was an American politician from Pennsylvania. He moved to Illinois as a young man and rose to become both Illinois Secretary of State and Illinois Treasurer.

Alexander Starne was born on November 21, 1813 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He attended public schools until he was sixteen and then became a clerk at the T. W. Dyott drug store. After working there for seven years, he moved to Alton, Illinois in 1836. He soon relocated to Griggsville, where he opened a general merchandise store. Starne was elected Commissioner of Pike County in 1839 and served for three years. He was then elected as a Democrat to the Illinois House of Representatives, where he served two two-year terms.

Starne moved to Pittsfield and was appointed Clerk of the Pike County Circuit Court. He was elected Illinois Secretary of State in 1852, serving one term under Governor Joel Aldrich Matteson. When the Republican Party came to power in 1856, Starne was replaced with a Republican candidate. He was a delegate at large to the 1856 Presidential Election, supporting Stephen A. Douglas and John A. Quitman. Douglas later withdrew in favor of eventual nominees James Buchanan, who won. Starne became President of the Hannibal and Naples Railroad in 1856, moving back to Griggsville. He saw through the completion of the railroad, which later became part of the Wabash Railway. Starne chaired the State Democratic Convention in 1858.

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