William A. Whittlesey Explained

William Augustus Whittlesey
State:Ohio
District:13th
Term Start:March 4, 1849
Term End:March 3, 1851
Preceded:Thomas Ritchey
Succeeded:James M. Gaylord
State House2:Ohio
District2:Washington County
Term Start2:December 2, 1839
Term End2:December 6, 1840
Preceded2:W. Curtis
Succeeded2:Arius Nye
Party:Democratic
Birth Date:14 July 1796
Birth Place:Danbury, Connecticut
Death Place:Brooklyn, New York
Restingplace:Mound Cemetery (Marietta, Ohio)
Spouse:Jane Hobby
Children:four
Signature:William A. Whittlesey signature.jpg
Alma Mater:Yale University

William Augustus Whittlesey (July 14, 1796 – November 6, 1866) was an American lawyer and politician who served one term as a U.S. Representative from Ohio from 1849 to 1851. He was the nephew of Elisha Whittlesey.

Biography

Born in Danbury, Connecticut, Whittlesey attended the common schools and was graduated from Yale College in 1816.He was a tutor at the college.He moved to Canfield, Ohio, in 1818.He studied law at Canfield with Elisha Whittlesey, and later studied with Joshua Reed Giddings.[1] He was admitted to the bar in 1821 and commenced practice in Canfield.He moved to Marietta, Ohio, in 1821.Auditor of Washington County 1825–1837.He served as member of the State house of representatives in 1839 and 1840.In 1841 he formed a partnership with Charles B. Goddard of Zanesville.[1]

Congress

Whittlesey was elected as a Democrat to the Thirty-first Congress (March 4, 1849 – March 3, 1851).He did not seek renomination in 1850.

Later career and death

He resumed the practice of law.He served as mayor of Marietta in 1856, 1860, and 1862.He died in Brooklyn, New York, where he had gone for medical treatment, on November 6, 1866.He was interred in Mound Cemetery, Marietta, Ohio.

Whittlesey was married to Jane Hobby, October 25, 1838. They had four children. Mrs. Whittlesey died February 10, 1896, at the home of her daughter in St. Cloud, Minnesota.[1]

Notes and References

  1. Book: Bench and Bar of Ohio: a Compendium of History and Biography . George Irving . Reed . Emilius Oviatt . Randall . Charles Theodore . Greve . 2 . 1897 . Century Publishing and Engraving Company . Chicago . 137–139 .