resigned at President McKinley's request, August 1, 1899. He published a personal history of the war, titled The Spanish–American War, in 1901. Vendetta against John S. Mosby John Singleton Mosby accused Alger of pursuing a vendetta against him during Alger's tenure as War Secretary. Mosby had been a Confederate partisan during the Civil War. Afterwards, he became a Republican and supported the presidential candidacies of Ulysses S. Grant and Rutherford B. Hayes. In 1878, Hayes appointed Mosby as U.S. Consul in Hong Kong, where Mosby served until 1885. Mosby supported William McKinley for president in 1896, and was assured by members of Congress close to McKinley that he could expect appointment to a consulship in Asia or South America. When no appointment was forthcoming, Mosby concluded that Alger was blocking his return to the consular service and claimed that Alger was pursuing a vendetta. According to Mosby, because during the war Mosby had ordered the execution of soldiers under Alger's command who were accused of looting and destroying the property of supporters of the Confederacy in 1864. Historians and authors have concluded that it is more probable that the official preventing Mosby from receiving an appointment under McKinley was Secretary of State John Sherman. When Mosby began serving in Hong Kong, he concluded that his predecessor, David H. Bailey, had been involved in embezzlement and fraud. Bailey was forced to resign as U.S. Consul in Shanghai. Bailey was from Sherman's home state of Ohio, and Sherman had authority over diplomatic appointments, so Sherman is more likely than Alger to have taken revenge on Mosby. U.S. Senator On September 27, 1902, Alger was appointed by Michigan Governor Aaron T. Bliss to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the death of James McMillan. He was elected to the seat by the Michigan State Legislature in January 1903. Alger was chairman of the Senate Committee on Pacific Railroads during the 59th Congress. Personal life Alger was the founder of a prominent family, many of whom became involved in 20th century Michigan politics and active in the Republican Party. The Algers had a home in Black River, Alcona Township, Michigan, from which Alger oversaw his lumbering operations. On April 2, 1861, he married Annette Huldana Squire Henry of Grand Rapids. They had six children; Henrietta, Caroline, Frances, Russell Jr., Frederick, and Allan. Frederick graduated from Harvard in 1899, served as