William Whiting Boardman (October 10, 1794 – August 27, 1871) was a politician and United States Representative from Connecticut.

Biography

Born in

New Milford, Connecticut New Milford is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The town, part of Greater Danbury, as well as the New York Metropolitan Area, has a population of 28,115 as of the 2020 census. New Milford lies north of Danbury on the ...

, William Whiting Boardman was the son of Senator Elijah Boardman and Mary Ann Whiting Boardman; and nephew of

David Sherman Boardman David Sherman Boardman (December 8, 1768 – December 2, 1864) was an American lawyer, judge, and state assemblyman in the early United States. The youngest child of Deacon Sherman and Sarah (Bostwick) Boardman, he lived for nearly his entire ...

. He was an early graduate of

Bacon Academy Bacon Academy is a public high school in Colchester, Connecticut, in the United States. In 1800 a prominent Colchester farmer, Pierpont Bacon, died and left an endowment of thirty-five thousand dollars (with buying power equivalent to that of abo ...

Colchester, Connecticut Colchester is a New England town, town in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut, Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region. The population was 15,555 at the 20 ...

. He graduated from

Yale College Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...

in 1812 and then studied law first in

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

for some time and then at the

Litchfield Law School The Litchfield Law School was a law school in Litchfield, Connecticut, that operated from 1774 to 1833. Litchfield was the first independent law school established in America for reading law. Founded and led by lawyer Tapping Reeve, the proprietar ...

in 1816 and 1817, before being admitted to the bar in 1818. He opened a law office in New Haven in 1820. His first major position was as a Judge of Probate in New Haven, Connecticut from 1825 to 1829.

Career

Boardman served as clerk of the

Connecticut State Senate The Connecticut State Senate is the upper house of the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The state senate comprises 36 members, each representing a district with around 99,280 inhabitants. Sena ...

in 1820. His first major position was as a Judge of Probate in

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is List ...

from 1825 to 1829. He was a member of the Connecticut State Senate for the fourth district from 1830 to 1832. A member 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 ...

from 1836 to 1839, in 1845, and from 1849 to 1851, he served as Speaker of the Connecticut State House of Representatives in 1836, 1839, and 1845. Mrs Elijah Boardman and her Son William Whiting Boardman

Mrs Elijah Boardman and her Son William Whiting Boardman

Boardman was a delegate to Whig National Convention from Connecticut in 1839 and was a member of the Balloting Committee, and served as speaker. He was chosen as a Whig to the Twenty-sixth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of William L. Storrs; reelected to the Twenty-seventh Congress and served from December 7, 1840, to March 3, 1843. He was chairman of the Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds during the Twenty-seventh Congress. As a member of the Governor's Foot Guard, Boardman rose to the rank of major. In 1864, he was member of the Common Council of New Haven City. He was a trustee of Trinity College from 1832 until 1871 and acted as the president of both the Gas Light Company of New Haven and the New Haven Water Company. He was member of the Episcopal Church and held offices among which were: Warden and vestryman of Trinity Church on the Green, New Haven; trustee of the General, Theological Seminary of the Protestant Episcopal Church; Trustee of the Cheshire Academy; President of the Board of Bishops' Fund. He was a founder and Vice President of the General Hospital Society of New Haven (now called

Yale New Haven Hospital Yale New Haven Hospital (YNHH) is a 1,541-bed hospital located in New Haven, Connecticut. It is the second-largest hospital in the United States and one of the largest in the world. It is the primary teaching hospital for the Yale School of Med ...

). On July 28, 1857, he married Lucy Hall of

Poland, Ohio Poland is a village (United States)#Ohio, village in eastern Mahoning County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,463 at the 2020 United States census. A suburb about south of Youngstown, Ohio, Youngstown, it is part of the Mahoning Vall ...

. He and his wife had no children. In 1897, Boardman's sister-in-law, Mrs. Mary P. Wade, gave

Trinity Church on the Green Trinity Church on the Green or Trinity on the Green is a historic, culturally and community-active parish of the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut in New Haven, Connecticut, of the Episcopal Church. It is one of three historic churches on the ...

(New Haven, Connecticut), an opalescent glass a window by the L.C. Tiffany Company in memory of William W. Boardman and Lucy H. Boardman.

, New Haven, Connecticut.

Death

William Whiting Boardman died in

of acute

bronchitis Bronchitis is inflammation of the bronchi (large and medium-sized airways) in the lungs that causes coughing. Bronchitis usually begins as an infection in the nose, ears, throat, or sinuses. The infection then makes its way down to the bronchi. ...

, on August 27, 1871 (age 76 years) and is interred at

Grove Street Cemetery Grove Street Cemetery or Grove Street Burial Ground is a cemetery in New Haven, Connecticut, that is surrounded by the Yale University campus. It was organized in 1796 as the New Haven Burying Ground and incorporated in October 1797 to replace th ...

.''Obituary Record of Graduates''. New Haven: Yale University (1880).

References

Bibliography

* (1871). "Obituary: William Whiting Boardman." ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

''. August 29, 1871. * (1880). ''Obituary Record of Graduates''. New Haven: Yale University. * "William Whiting Boardman.
Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
Retrieved October 13, 2007. {{DEFAULTSORT:Boardman, William Whiting 1794 births 1871 deaths Connecticut state senators Speakers of the Connecticut House of Representatives Burials at Grove Street Cemetery Whig Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Connecticut Yale College alumni Bacon Academy alumni 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century members of the Connecticut General Assembly