William Henry Bulkeley (March 2, 1840 – November 7, 1902) was an American politician who was the 60th Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut from 1881 to 1883.

Early life

William H. Bulkeley was born in

East Haddam, Connecticut East Haddam is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region. The population was 8,875 at the time of the 2020 census. History Until 1650, the area of East Hadd ...

, March 2, 1840.Illustrated Popular Biography of Connecticut - 1891
Compiled and Published by J. A. Spalding, Hartford Conn., Press of the Case, Lockwood and Brainard Company, 1891. He was the son of

Eliphalet Adams Bulkeley Eliphalet Adams Bulkeley (June 20, 1803 – February 13, 1872) was an American business executive, politician, and first president of the Aetna Insurance Company. He was a member of both chambers of the Connecticut General Assembly and was the ...

and Lydia S. Bulkeley and the brother of

Morgan Bulkeley Morgan Gardner Bulkeley (December 26, 1837 – November 6, 1922) was an American politician of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, businessman, and insurance executive. In 1876, he served as the first president of baseball's ...

. His father was Member of Connecticut State Senate for the 19th District, 1838, 1840 and Speaker of the

Connecticut House of Representatives The Connecticut 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 each ...

. His brother was

Governor of Connecticut The governor of Connecticut is the head of government of Connecticut, and the commander-in-chief of the U.S. state, state's Connecticut Military Department, military forces. The Governor (United States), governor has a duty to enforce state laws, ...

from 1889 to 1893 and a

United States senator The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress. Party affiliation Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...

. In 1847, the family moved to

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 ...

. He left high school before graduation, despite admirable records, and entered an old, leading dry-goods establishment as a clerk. In March 1857, he moved to Brooklyn, New York City, and engaged in the same business with H.P. Morgan & Co, before starting in the trade himself. He served in the Union Army during the Civil War. In 1868, he returned to Hartford, where he organized the Kellog & Bulkeley Company, lithographers, of which he was president for many years. He was also vice-president of the Aetna Life Insurance Company for many years.

Political career

Bulkeley was a Republican. He was in the common council board of Hardford for five years, serving one year as vice-president, on year as president. He was then appointed a member of the board of street commissioners. He was elected

Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut The lieutenant governor of Connecticut is the second highest executive officer of the government of the U.S. State of Connecticut. The lieutenant governor acts as President of the State Senate, presiding over the Senate and casting votes in the ...

in November 1880 and served for one two-year term from January 5, 1881 to January 3, 1883, alongside governor

Hobart B. Bigelow Hobart Baldwin Bigelow (May 16, 1834 – October 12, 1891) was an American politician and the 50th Governor of Connecticut. Biography Bigelow was born in North Haven, New Haven County, Connecticut, on May 16, 1834. He was educated in the Sout ...

. He was a brigadier general in Connecticut National Guard. In 1895 he became, along with his brother Morgan, a member of the

Military Order of Foreign Wars The Military Order of Foreign Wars of the United States (MOFW) is one of the oldest veterans' and hereditary associations in the nation with a membership that includes officers and their hereditary descendants from all of the Armed Services. Memb ...

(MOFW) by right of their descent from Captain Eliphalet Bulkeley who was an office in the Connecticut Militia during the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

. In 1896 he was a founding member of the Connecticut Commandery of the MOFW. He died at his home in Hartford on November 7, 1902.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bulkeley, William H. 1840 births 1902 deaths Lieutenant governors of Connecticut