William Augustus Whittlesey (July 14, 1796 – November 6, 1866) was an American lawyer and politician who served one term as a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

from 1849 to 1851. He was the nephew of

Elisha Whittlesey Elisha Whittlesey (October 19, 1783 – January 7, 1863) was a lawyer, civil servant and U.S. Representative from Ohio. Biography Born in Washington, Connecticut, Whittlesey moved with his parents in early youth to Salisbury, Connecticut. He att ...

Biography

Born in Danbury, Connecticut, Whittlesey attended the common schools and was graduated from

Yale College Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...

in 1816. He was a tutor at the college. He moved to

Canfield, Ohio Canfield is a city in central Mahoning County, Ohio, United States. The population was 7,699 as of the 2020 census. A suburb about southwest of Youngstown, the city lies at the intersection of U.S. Routes 62 and 224 and is part of the Youngs ...

, in 1818. He studied law at Canfield with

, and later studied with Joshua Reed Giddings. He was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1821 and commenced practice in Canfield. He moved to

Marietta, Ohio Marietta is a city in, and the county seat of, Washington County, Ohio, United States. It is located in southeastern Ohio at the confluence of the Muskingum and Ohio Rivers, northeast of Parkersburg, West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, Ma ...

, 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 Zanesville is a city in and the county seat of Muskingum County, Ohio, United States. It is located east of Columbus and had a population of 24,765 as of the 2020 census, down from 25,487 as of the 2010 census. Historically the state capit ...

Congress

Whittlesey was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

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 Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, where he had gone for medical treatment, on November 6, 1866. He was interred in Mound Cemetery,

. 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.

References

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Whittlesey, William Augustus 1796 births 1866 deaths Yale College alumni Politicians from Marietta, Ohio Mayors of places in Ohio Democratic Party members of the Ohio House of Representatives Ohio lawyers Burials at Mound Cemetery (Marietta, Ohio) 19th-century American politicians People from Canfield, Ohio 19th-century American lawyers Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio