William Hanford Upson (January 11, 1823 – April 13, 1910) was a nineteenth-century politician, lawyer and judge from

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

. From 1869 to 1873, he served two terms in the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

Biography

Upson was born in

Worthington, Ohio Worthington is a city in Franklin County, Ohio, United States, and is a northern suburb of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus. The population in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census was 14,786. The city was founded in 1803 by the Scioto Company led by ...

. His parents were Dr. Daniel Upson and Polly Wright. He attended Tallmadge Academy, pursued in classical studies and graduated from Western Reserve College in 1842. He studied law at the

Painesville, Ohio Painesville is a city in Lake County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Located along the Grand River (Ohio), Grand River, it is a northeast suburb of Cleveland. Its population was 20,312 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Pa ...

office of Reuben Hitchcock, followed by a year at

Yale Law School Yale Law School (YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824. The 2020–21 acceptance rate was 4%, the lowest of any law school in the United ...

. He was admitted to the bar in 1845, commencing practice in

Akron, Ohio Akron () is a city in Summit County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Ohio, fifth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 190,469 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Akron metr ...

in 1846. He served as

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 ...

Summit County, Ohio Summit County is an urban county located in the northeast region of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 540,428, making it the fourth-most populous county in Ohio. Its county seat and largest city is Akron. The c ...

from 1848 to 1850, was a member of the

Ohio Senate The Ohio Senate is the upper house of the Ohio General Assembly. The State Senate, which meets in the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, first convened in 1803. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered every two years such that half of t ...

from 1853 to 1855 and was a delegate to the

Republican National Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the Republican Party in the United States. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal o ...

in 1864. Upson was elected a Republican to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

in 1868, serving from 1869 to 1873, not being a candidate for renomination in 1872. There, he served as chairman of the Committee on Private Land Claims from 1871 to 1873. Afterward, he was once again a delegate to the

in 1876, was appointed an

Associate Justice An associate justice or associate judge (or simply associate) is a judicial panel member who is not the chief justice in some jurisdictions. The title "Associate Justice" is used for members of the Supreme Court of the United States and some ...

of the

Ohio Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the State of Ohio is the highest court in the U.S. state of Ohio, with final authority over interpretations of Ohio law and the Ohio Constitution. The court has seven members, a chief justice and six associate justices, ...

in 1883 and was elected judge of the

circuit court Circuit courts are court systems in several common law jurisdictions. It may refer to: * Courts that literally sit 'on circuit', i.e., judges move around a region or country to different towns or cities where they will hear cases; * Courts that s ...

in 1884, serving until 1894. Upson continued practicing law until his death in

on April 13, 1910. He was interred in Glendale Cemetery in Akron. Upson was married May 20, 1856 to Julia A. Ford of Akron, and four children were born to them.The Supreme Court of Ohio and The Ohio Judicial System - William Hanford Upson
/ref> Upson was a trustee of Western Reserve College,

Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1833, it is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational lib ...

, and the Lake Erie Female Seminary in Painesville.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Upson, William H. 1823 births 1910 deaths Republican Party Ohio state senators Justices of the Supreme Court of Ohio Ohio state court judges Ohio lawyers Case Western Reserve University alumni Politicians from Akron, Ohio People from Worthington, Ohio County district attorneys in Ohio Yale Law School alumni Burials at Glendale Cemetery, Akron Western Reserve Academy alumni 19th-century Ohio state court judges 19th-century American lawyers Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century members of the Ohio General Assembly