William Graves Sharp (March 14, 1859 – November 17, 1922) was an American lawyer, manufacturer, three-term congressman, and diplomat.

Biography

Sharp was born in Mount Gilead, Ohio, on March 14, 1859. He moved to Elyria, Ohio with his mother and her parents, occupying the Starr-Worthington home on Washington Avenue.

Education and early career

He graduated LL.B. from the Law Department of the University of Michigan in 1881 and then practiced law in Elyria. He also engaged in the manufacture of

charcoal Charcoal is a lightweight black carbon residue produced by strongly heating wood (or other animal and plant materials) in minimal oxygen to remove all water and volatile constituents. In the traditional version of this pyrolysis process, ca ...

pig iron Pig iron, also known as crude iron, is an intermediate good used by the iron industry in the production of steel. It is developed by smelting iron ore in a blast furnace. Pig iron has a high carbon content, typically 3.8–4.7%, along with si ...

, and

chemical A chemical substance is a unique form of matter with constant chemical composition and characteristic properties. Chemical substances may take the form of a single element or chemical compounds. If two or more chemical substances can be combin ...

s. From 1885–88 he was

prosecuting attorney A prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in states with either the adversarial system, which is adopted in common law, or inquisitorial system, which is adopted in civil law. The prosecution is the legal party responsible ...

of Lorain County, Ohio.

Political career

He was a Democratic

presidential elector In the United States, the Electoral College is the group of presidential electors that is formed every four years for the sole purpose of voting for the president and vice president in the presidential election. This process is described in ...

in 1892, a Democratic candidate for

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

in 1900, and a member of the Sixty-first to the Sixty-third Congresses (1909–15), but resigned in 1914 to become Ambassador to France by appointment of President Wilson. He served until April 14, 1919, then returned to Elyria, Ohio, and engaged in literary pursuits. Sharp was known as the Father of Air Mail due to his vision of using aircraft for postal delivery. He crafted legislation for this goal which was eventually successful in being passed. He was one of two Elyrians to have served in Congress and also one of two Lorain Countians (Myron T. Herrick) to have served as Ambassador to France during the early 20th century.

Death and legacy

He died on November 17, 1922, in

Elyria, Ohio Elyria ( ) is a city in Lorain County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the forks of the Black River (Ohio), Black River in Northeast Ohio, southwest of Cleveland. The population was 52,656 at the 2020 United States cens ...

, and was interred in Ridgelawn Cemetery. The family's Elyria home was purchased in 1945 by th
Washington Avenue Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
congregation which was relocating at that time from Elyria's Second Street. The Sharp home was incorporated into the church's new building, dedicated in 1951. Many of the mansion’s interior architectural details–including marble fireplaces, decorative ceiling mouldings, plaster reliefs on the parlor walls, and a beautiful grand staircase–remain. Through the efforts of the Elyria Historical Association, Lorain County Historical Society, Ohio History Connection, and Washington Avenue Christian Church, an historical marker (Lorain County's 7th and Lorain County's 35th) was unveiled on the Washington Avenue property on September 3, 2020, with approximately 50 people present. Remarks at the unveiling were presented by the Honorable Frank Whitfield, Mayor of the City of Elyria, Mr. Bill Bird, President of the Elyria Historical Association, Ms. Kerri Broome, Executive Director of the Lorain County Historical Society, and the Rev. Nathan A. Russell, Senior Pastor.

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sharp, William Graves Ambassadors of the United States to France People from Mount Gilead, Ohio People from Elyria, Ohio Ohio lawyers University of Michigan Law School alumni County district attorneys in Ohio 1859 births 1922 deaths 1892 United States presidential electors 19th-century American lawyers Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives