William Addison Phillips (1824–1893) was a Free-State Abolitionist journalist during the "

Bleeding Kansas Bleeding Kansas, Bloody Kansas, or the Border War, was a series of violent civil confrontations in Kansas Territory, and to a lesser extent in western Missouri, between 1854 and 1859. It emerged from a political and ideological debate over the ...

" period. He also served in the Civil War, ending the war as a colonel.

Biography

Born in

Paisley, Scotland Paisley ( ; ; ) is a large town situated in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. Located north of the Gleniffer Braes, the town borders the city of Glasgow to the east, and straddles the banks of the White Cart Water, a tributary of the River ...

, Phillips attended the common schools of Paisley. He immigrated to the United States in 1838 with his parents, who settled in

Randolph County, Illinois Randolph County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 30,163. Its county seat is Chester. Owing to its role in the state's history, the county motto is "Where Illinois Began." ...

. He engaged in agricultural pursuits. He was employed as a newspaper correspondent 1845–1862. He studied law. 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 1855 and commenced practice in

Lawrence, Kansas Lawrence is a city in and the county seat of Douglas County, Kansas, United States, and the sixth-largest city in the state. It is in the northeastern sector of the state, astride Interstate 70 in Kansas, Interstate 70, between the Kansas River ...

, working also as a correspondent for the New York ''Tribune''. He was first justice of the

Kansas Supreme Court The Kansas Supreme Court is the highest judicial authority in the U.S. state of Kansas. Composed of seven justices, led by Chief Justice Marla Luckert, the court supervises the legal profession, administers the judicial branch, and serves as t ...

under the Leavenworth Constitution. In 1858, he settled and founded the city of

Salina, Kansas Salina is a city in and the county seat of Saline County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 46,889. In the early 1800s, the Kanza tribal land reached eastward from the middle of the Kansas Territory. In 1858 ...

with a wagon circle against constant threat by hostile tribes. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, though offered a large sum to be a correspondent at the front, he entered the Union Army as a volunteer, and raised some of the first troops in Kansas in 1861. He was a major in the 1st Indian Home Guard. He was promoted to colonel and served as commander of the Cherokee Indian Regiment in the 3rd Indian Home Guard. He served as prosecuting attorney of Cherokee County in 1865. He served in the state House of Representatives in 1865. He was elected as a Republican to the Forty-third, Forty-fourth, and Forty-fifth Congresses (March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1879). He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1878. After leaving Congress, he was attorney for the Cherokee Indians at

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

He was an unsuccessful candidate for election to Congress in 1890. He died at Fort Gibson, Muskogee County, Indian Territory (now Oklahoma), November 30, 1893. He was interred in Gypsum Hill Cemetery,

. The city of

Phillipsburg, Kansas Phillipsburg is a city in and the county seat of Phillips County, Kansas, Phillips County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 2,337. History Phillipsburg was organized in 1872 and named ...

was named in honor William A. Phillips.

References

Bibliography

Kansas cyclopedia
*

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Phillips, William Addison 1824 births 1893 deaths People from Kansas Territory Scottish emigrants to the United States Republican Party members of the Kansas House of Representatives Politicians from Salina, Kansas People from Paisley, Renfrewshire People of Kansas in the American Civil War Union army colonels Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Kansas American city founders 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century members of the Kansas Legislature