Lewis Ledyard Weld (May 13, 1833 – January 10, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and Union Army officer. Weld, the third son of Lewis Weld, was born in

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...

, May 13, 1833. He 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 1854. After two years spent in teaching, he pursued the study of law in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...

and

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, and he was subsequently admitted to the bar in 1857. In 1858-1859 he was settled as an Attorney at

Leavenworth, Kansas Leavenworth () is the county seat and largest city of Leavenworth County, Kansas, Leavenworth County, Kansas, United States. Part of the Kansas City metropolitan area, Leavenworth is located on the west bank of the Missouri River, on the site o ...

, and he took strong opposition to the

Lecompton Constitution The Lecompton Constitution (1858) was the second of four proposed state constitutions of Kansas. Named for the city of Lecompton, Kansas where it was drafted, it was strongly pro-slavery. It never went into effect. History Purpose The Lecompton ...

. Afterward, he moved to the neighborhood of Pike's Peak, settled in

Denver, Colorado Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

, and continued the practice of his profession. When the

Colorado Territory The Territory of Colorado was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from February 28, 1861, until August 1, 1876, when it was admitted to the Union as the 38th State of Colorado. The territory was organized ...

was organized in 1861, he was made the

Secretary of State of Colorado The secretary of state of Colorado is the secretary of state of the state of Colorado in the United States. The office is one of five elected constitutional offices in the state. The current secretary of state is Democrat Jena Griswold. St ...

, and was, for some time, the

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, exerting a powerful influence for the maintenance of the national authority. He is the namesake of

Weld County, Colorado Weld County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 328,981. The county seat is Greeley. Weld County comprises the Greeley, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Denv ...

. In 1862, he resigned his office, aiming to engage in military service. While awaiting a suitable opportunity he edited the '' Denver Commonwealth'' newspaper. In Oct 1863, he passed the examining board as Major, and subsequently became Lieutenant Colonel of the 41st U.S. Colored Troops. He served in Maryland, South Carolina, Florida, and in the

Army of the James The Army of the James was a Union Army that was composed of units from the Department of Virginia and North Carolina and served along the James River during the final operations of the American Civil War in Virginia. History The Union Department ...

before

Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...

, where he died Jan. 10, 1865, from an acute disease brought on by exposure. Lewis' brother, Charles Theodore Weld, also served in the Civil War. Charles died in May 1863 of wounds he suffered during the

Battle of Chancellorsville The Battle of Chancellorsville, April 30 – May 6, 1863, was a major battle of the American Civil War (1861–1865), and the principal engagement of the Chancellorsville campaign. Confederate General Robert E. Lee's risky decision to divide h ...

in Virginia. A memorial to both brothers was erected in Hartford's Old North Cemetery in 1865.

References

External links

Lewis Weld family papers, Yale University
{{DEFAULTSORT:Weld, Lewis Ledyard 1833 births 1865 deaths Politicians from Hartford, Connecticut People of Connecticut in the American Civil War Yale College alumni Colorado lawyers Secretaries of state of Colorado Union army colonels American newspaper editors 19th-century Colorado politicians Lawyers from Hartford, Connecticut Military personnel from Hartford, Connecticut 19th-century American lawyers Infectious disease deaths in Maryland