William A. Griswold Explained

William A. Griswold
Office1:Member of the Vermont House of Representatives
Term Start1:1841
Term End1:1842
Predecessor1:Carlos Baxter
Successor1:John Van Sicklen
Constituency1:Burlington
Office2:Member of the Vermont Governor's Council
Term Start2:1833
Term End2:1835
Predecessor2:Nathan Leavenworth
Successor2:George Perkins Marsh
Office3:United States Attorney for the District of Vermont
Term Start3:1821
Term End3:1829
Predecessor3:Titus Hutchinson
Successor3:Daniel Kellogg
Office4:24th Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives
Term Start4:1819
Term End4:1820
Predecessor4:Richard Skinner
Successor4:Daniel Azro Ashley Buck
Office5:22nd Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives
Term Start5:1815
Term End5:1818
Predecessor5:Daniel Chipman
Successor5:Richard Skinner
Office6:Member of the Vermont House of Representatives
Term Start6:1827
Term End6:1828
Predecessor6:William A. Palmer
Successor6:Augustine Clarke
Constituency6:Danville
Term Start7:1819
Term End7:1820
Predecessor7:William A. Palmer
Successor7:Joseph Morrill
Constituency7:Danville
Term Start8:1813
Term End8:1818
Predecessor8:William A. Palmer
Successor8:William A. Palmer
Constituency8:Danville
Term Start9:1807
Term End9:1811
Predecessor9:Joseph Moffet
Successor9:William A. Palmer
Constituency9:Danville
Office10:State's Attorney of Caledonia County, Vermont
Term Start10:1816
Term End10:1819
Predecessor10:William Mattocks
Successor10:Isaac Fletcher
Term Start11:1804
Term End11:1813
Predecessor11:William Mattocks
Successor11:William Mattocks
Birth Date:15 September 1775
Birth Place:New Marlborough, Massachusetts, British America
Death Place:Burlington, Vermont, U.S.
Restingplace:Elmwood Cemetery, Burlington, Vermont U.S.
Spouse:Mary Follett (m. 1798)
Permelia Adams (m. 1833)
Children:5
Profession:Attorney
Party:Democratic-Republican
Whig

William A. Griswold (September 15, 1775  - January 17, 1846) was an American lawyer and politician in the U.S. state of Vermont. He served as the 22nd and 24th Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives.

Early life

William Adams Griswold was born in New Marlborough, Massachusetts on September 15, 1775.[1] [2] His family moved to Bennington, Vermont when he was ten years old and he attended the common schools there. He graduated from Dartmouth College in 1794, studied law with Jonathan Robinson of Bennington, and started a law practice in Danville.[3] Among the prospective attorneys who studied law in his Danville office was Ephraim Paddock.[4]

Political career

In 1803 Griswold was named State's Attorney for Caledonia County, a position in which he served almost continuously until moving to Burlington in 1821.[5] [6] From 1804 to 1817, he served as Caledonia County's Register of Probate. A Democratic-Republican, Griswold represented Danville in the Vermont House of Representatives from 1807–1811.[7]

In 1812 Griswold was one of Vermont's presidential electors, casting his ballot for James Madison.[8] In 1813 Griswold returned to the Vermont House, serving until 1818. He served again in the State House from 1819–1820. Griswold was Speaker of the House from 1815-1818 and 1819–1820.[9]

He was named United States Attorney for Vermont in 1821, a position in which he served until 1829.[10] [11] In 1828 he was elected to the Vermont Council of Censors.[12] From 1828 until his death he served as President of the Lake Champlain Transportation Company, which operated steamships on Lake Champlain.[13]

Griswold served on the Vermont Governor's Council from 1833–1834.[14] In 1836 Griswold, by now a Whig, was a presidential elector from Vermont and cast his ballot for William Henry Harrison.[15] Griswold represented Burlington in the Vermont House from 1841–1842.[16]

He died in Burlington on January 17, 1846.[17] [18] He was buried at Elmwood Cemetery in Burlington.[19]

References


Notes and References

  1. http://www.nekg-vt.com/news/news-vermont-watchman-deaths-1845-50.htm Death notice, The Vermont Watchman & State Journal Newspaper
  2. https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_sKM4AAAAYAAJ/page/n156 General Catalogue of Dartmouth College
  3. https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_3ElOAAAAMAAJ/page/n40 General Catalogue of Dartmouth College
  4. Book: Childs, Hamilton . 1887 . Gazetteer of Caledonia and Essex Counties, Vt. 1764-1887 . Syracuse, NY . Syracuse Journal Company . 84 . .
  5. https://books.google.com/books?id=qzlOAAAAYAAJ&dq=%22william+a+griswold%22+state%27s+attorney&pg=PA40 Journals of the General Assembly of the State of Vermont
  6. https://books.google.com/books?id=GkcjAQAAMAAJ&dq=%22william+a+griswold%22+state%27s+attorney&pg=PA37 Gazetteer of Caledonia and Essex Counties, Vt. 1764-1887
  7. http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~vtwindha/vhg1/0618_bio.htm Biographical sketch, William A. Griswold
  8. https://books.google.com/books?id=OcoMAAAAYAAJ&dq=%22william+a+griswold%22+elector+%22james+madison%22&pg=PA990 A History and Description of New England
  9. https://books.google.com/books?id=e4wUAAAAYAAJ&dq=%22william+a+griswold%22+vermont+house+speaker&pg=PA382 Early History of Vermont
  10. https://books.google.com/books?id=rl8UAAAAYAAJ&dq=%22william+a+griswold%22+monroe+vermont+united+states+attorney&pg=PA246 Journal of the Executive Proceedings of the Senate of the United States
  11. https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_y4MUAAAAYAAJ/page/n122 Catalogue of the Principal Officers of Vermont
  12. https://books.google.com/books?id=-fhNAAAAYAAJ&dq=%22william+a+griswold%22+vermont+council+censors&pg=PA3 Journal of the Council of Censors of the State of Vermont
  13. https://archive.org/details/historyofclinton00hurd/page/n62 History of Clinton and Franklin Counties, New York
  14. https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_R7g3AQAAIAAJ/page/n111 Records of the Governor and Council of the State of Vermont for 1833 to 1834
  15. https://books.google.com/books?id=lNQbAQAAMAAJ&dq=%22william+a+griswold%22+vermont+presidential+elector+1836&pg=PA622 The Vermont Historical Gazetteer
  16. https://books.google.com/books?id=lDkTAAAAYAAJ&q=griswold&pg=PA149 Journal of the General Assembly of the State of Vermont
  17. http://www.nekg-vt.com/news/news-vermont-watchman-deaths-1845-50.htm Death notice, The Vermont Watchman & State Journal Newspaper
  18. https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_sju7AAAAIAAJ/page/n76 Sketches of the Alumni of Dartmouth College
  19. University of Vermont Students, Elmwood Cemetery: A Walking Tour of Burlington's History, 2008, page 45