William Paine Sheffield (August 30, 1820June 2, 1907) was a

United States representative 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 ...

and

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

from

Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...

Biography

Born in New Shoreham (on

Block Island Block Island is an island of the Outer Lands coastal archipelago in New England, located approximately south of mainland Rhode Island and east of Long Island's Montauk Point. The island is coterminous with the town of New Shoreham, Rhode Isl ...

), he completed preparatory studies, attended

Kingston Academy The Kingston Academy (TKA), is a co-educational secondary free school located in the London Borough of Kingston upon Thames The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames is a London boroughs, borough in southwest London. The main town is King ...

, and graduated from

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, Harvard Law School is the oldest law school in continuous operation in the United ...

in 1843. He was admitted to the bar in 1844 and commenced practice in

Newport Newport most commonly refers to: *Newport, Wales *Newport, Rhode Island, US Newport or New Port may also refer to: Places Asia *Newport City, Metro Manila, a Philippine district in Pasay * Newport (Vietnam), a United States Army and Army of t ...

. In 1841 and 1842 he was a delegate to the State constitutional conventions and was a member of the

Rhode Island House of Representatives The Rhode Island House of Representatives is the lower house of the Rhode Island General Assembly, the state legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Rhode Island, the upper house being the Rhode Island Senate. It is ...

from 1842 to 1845, from 1849 to 1853, and from 1857 to 1861. He moved to Tiverton and returned to Newport. Sheffield was elected as a Union candidate to the Thirty-seventh Congress (March 4, 1861 – March 3, 1863) and then resumed the practice of law; he was appointed in 1871 one of the commissioners to revise the State laws, and was a member of the State house of representatives from 1875 to 1884. He was appointed as a Republican to the U.S. Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the death of

Henry B. Anthony Henry Bowen Anthony (April 1, 1815 – September 2, 1884) was a United States newspaperman and political figure. He served as editor and was later part owner of the ''Providence Journal''. He was the 21st Governor of Rhode Island, serving bet ...

and served from November 19, 1884, to January 20, 1885, after which he resumed the practice of his profession. In 1892 Sheffield was elected as an honorary member of the Rhode Island

Society of the Cincinnati The Society of the Cincinnati is a lineage society, fraternal, hereditary society founded in 1783 to commemorate the American Revolutionary War that saw the creation of the United States. Membership is largely restricted to descendants of milita ...

. Sheffield died in Newport in 1907; interment was in the

Island Cemetery The Common Burying Ground and Island Cemetery are a pair of separate cemeteries on Farewell and Warner Street in Newport, Rhode Island. Together they contain over 5,000 graves, including a colonial-era slave cemetery and Jewish graves. The pai ...

. Sheffield was the father of William Paine Sheffield Jr., also a U.S. Representative from Rhode Island.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sheffield, William 1820 births 1907 deaths People from New Shoreham, Rhode Island American people of English descent Rhode Island Unionists Unionist Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Rhode Island Republican Party United States senators from Rhode Island Republican Party members of the Rhode Island House of Representatives Harvard Law School alumni Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Rhode Island 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century United States senators 19th-century members of the Rhode Island General Assembly