| William B. Sheldon | |
| Office: | Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of the |
| Term Start: | June 11, 1838 |
| Term End: | November 26, 1838 |
| Predecessor: | Isaac Leffler |
| Successor: | John W. Blackstone |
| Office1: | Representative to the Legislative Assembly of the from |
| Term Start1: | October 25, 1836 |
| Term End1: | November 26, 1838 |
| Predecessor1: | Position established |
| Birth Name: | William Billings Sheldon |
| Birth Date: | 1805 |
| Birth Place: | Red Hook, New York, U.S. |
| Death Place: | Buffalo, New York |
| Death Cause: | Asthma |
| Restingplace: | Oak Hill Cemetery Janesville, Wisconsin |
| Party: | Democratic |
William Billings Sheldon (1805October 20, 1847) was an American lawyer and Wisconsin pioneer. He was an early settler of Janesville, Wisconsin, and served in the Legislature of the Wisconsin Territory. He was Speaker of the Assembly during the Special Session of the 1st Legislature.
Born in Red Hook, Dutchess County, New York. He married Ann Bonesteel, of Woodstock, New York, and they lived for a time in Delhi, New York, where their children were born. Sheldon was associated with the New York Militia and rose to Brigadier General for the 25th Infantry Brigade, 6th Division, in 1836.[1]
In 1836, Sheldon moved west with his family, settling in Milwaukee, Wisconsin Territory. There, he was elected as one Milwaukee's representatives to the 1st Legislative Assembly of the Wisconsin Territory. He served in all three sessions of the 1st Assembly, and was chosen as Speaker for the Special session in the summer of 1838.[2] In 1839, Sheldon moved his family to Janesville, in Rock County, where he was one of the first settlers.[3] That year, he was appointed Justice of the Peace for Rock County by Governor Henry Dodge, and remained in that office until 1842. He was also appointed, in 1840, a commissioner to locate suitable land for a university in the Milwaukee region. And, in 1842, he was listed as Commissary General of the Wisconsin Militia.[4]
After the death of his wife, in 1845, Sheldon appears to have donated his property in Janesville to create the Janesville Female Seminary.[5] He died at the Western Hotel in Buffalo, New York, on October 20, 1847.[3] [6]
Sheldon married his wife, Anna Bonesteel, around 1820. They had at least three children. Their eldest daughter, Maria, was the second wife of Chicago lawyer and abolitionist Jonathan Young Scammon.
He and his wife were active with the Episcopal Church in Milwaukee and helped to establish an Episcopal Church in Janesville, in 1844.[7]