William Wallace Eaton (October 11, 1816September 21, 1898) was a

United States 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 ...

and

United States senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

from

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...

Biography

Born in

Tolland, Connecticut Tolland is a suburban town in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 14,563 at the 2020 census. History Tolland was named in May, 1715, and incorporated in May, 1722 from Windsor. The town was over 20 miles away from ...

, he was educated in the common schools and by private instruction. He moved to

Columbia, South Carolina Columbia is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is List of municipalities in South Carolina, the second-largest ...

to engage in mercantile pursuits, then returned to Tolland, studied law, and was admitted to the

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in 1837, and began practice there.

Career

A clerk of courts of Tolland County in 1846 and 1847, Eaton was a member of the

Connecticut House of Representatives The Connecticut State House of Representatives is the lower house in the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The house is composed of 151 members representing an equal number of districts, with ...

1847–1848, then a member of the Connecticut state senate 20th District in 1850. In 1851, he moved to

Hartford Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since t ...

, and was clerk of courts of

Hartford County Hartford County is a county located in the north central part of the U.S. state of Connecticut. According to the 2020 census, the population was 899,498, making it the second-most populous county in Connecticut. Hartford County contains the ...

in 1851 and 1854, as well as city attorney in 1857 and 1858. He was chief judge of the city court of Hartford in 1863 and 1864, and from 1867 to 1872, and was a delegate to Democratic National Convention from Connecticut in 1864 and 1868. Eaton was again a member of the

in 1853, and again was a member of the

Connecticut Senate The Connecticut State Senate is the upper house of the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The state senate comprises 36 members, each representing a district with around 99,280 inhabitants. Sen ...

in 1859. An unsuccessful Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate in 1860, Eaton again served as a Representative in 1863, 1868, 1870–1871 and 1873–1874. He served as speaker in 1853 and 1873. Appointed as a Democrat to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the death of William A. Buckingham, Eaton served from February 5, 1875, to March 3, 1875. Elected for the full term beginning March 4, 1875, he served until March 3, 1881. While in the Senate, he was chairman of the Committee on Foreign Relations (Forty-sixth Congress). Eaton was also elected as a Democratic Representative to the Forty-eighth Congress (March 4, 1883 – March 3, 1885), and was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1884.

Death

Eaton resumed the practice of law until he died in Hartford, on September 21, 1898 (age 81 years, 345 days). He is interred at Spring Grove Cemetery, Hartford, Connecticut.

References

External links

Library of Congress Biography
*
Govtrack US CongressConnecticutHistory.org

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eaton, William W. 1816 births 1898 deaths Connecticut state court judges Democratic Party United States senators from Connecticut Democratic Party members of the Connecticut House of Representatives Democratic Party Connecticut state senators Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Connecticut 19th-century American politicians People from Tolland, Connecticut Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations 19th-century American judges