Dictionary of the United States Congress
Van Winkle, Peter <}.— Was born in the City of New York, September 7, 1808 ; removed to Parkersburg, now West Virginia, in 1835; was a member of the Virginia " Constitutional Convention " of 1850; also of the " Wheeling Conven tion " of 1861 ; and also of the Convention Avhich formed the Constitution of West Virginia in 1862 ; was a member of the Legislature of that State from its organi zation to June, 1863; and in November of that year was elected a Senator in Con gress, from West Virginia, for the term ending in 1869, serving on the Commit tees on Finance, Pensions, and Post Offices and Post Road.s. He was also a Delegate to the Philadelphia "Loyalists' Conven tion" of 1806; and was subsequently made Chairman of the Committee on Pensions. Van Wyek, Charles JET.— He was elected a Representative, from New York, to the Thirty-sixth Congress, serving as a member of the Committee on Mileage ; also elected to the Thirty-seventh Con gress, and appointed Chairman of the Committee on Government Contracts. While in Congress he served in the Volun teer service as the Colonel of a regiment, and in 1865 he was appointed a Brigadier- General by brevet. He was a Delegate to the Pittsburg " Soldiers' Convention " of 1865. Re-elected to the Fortieth Con gress, serving as Chairman of the Com mittee on Retrenchment. He was a Dele gate to the State " Republican Conven tion " of 1867. Van Wi/ck, William W.—llQ was born in Duchess County, New York, and was a Representative in Congress, from that State, from 1821 to 1825. Varnum, James Mitchell. — He was born in Dracut, Massachusetts, in 1749 ; graduated at Rhode Island College in 1769; studied law, and settled in East Greenwich. In 1774 he accepted the com mand of a company called the "Kentish, Guards." In 1777 was promoted by Con gress to the rank of Brigadier-General. In 1779 he resigned his commission in the army, and the Legislature appointed him Major-General of Militia. From 1780 to 1782 he was a Delegate to the Continen tal Congress, after which service he re turned to the practice of his profession. In 1786 he was again a Delegate to Con gress, and served one year. He was then appointed Judge of the North-west Terri tory. He died in 1790. Varnum, «707m.— He was a Repre sentative in Congress, from Massachu setts, from 1825 to 1831. He was a native of Essex County, Massachusetts ; edu cated at Harvard University; practised law for some years, at Haverhill, Massa- BIOGRAPHICAL EECOEDS. 395 chusetts ; was frequently a member of the State Legislature. He removed to Niles, in the State of Michigan, where he died, July 23, 1846, aged sixty-three years. Varnum, Joseph Bradley.— Born in 175',), in Dracut, Massachusetts ; he was a General in the Revolutionary war; and a Representative in Congress from 1795 to 1811, being four years Speaker, during the Tenth and Eleventh Congresses. He was chosen Senator in 1811, served till 1817, and was President pro tern, of the Senate. Of the three conventions of Massachu setts he was a useful member. He died suddenly, September 11, 1821, being then Major-General of a division of the Militia. Venable, Abraham J3.— He was a graduate of Princeton College in 1780; a Representative in Congress, from Vir ginia, from 1791 to 1799 ; and a Senator of the United States from 1803 to 1804. He perished In the conflagration of the theatre at Richmond, Virginia, December 26, 1811. Venable, Abraham W. — Born in Prince Edward County, Virginia, October 17, 1799; graduated at Hampden Sidney College iu 1816; studied medicine for two years, and then went to Princeton Col lege, where he graduated in 1819; he then studied law, and was admitted to the bar in North Carolina, in 1821. He was a Presidential Elector in 1832, and also in 183G ; and a Representative in Congress, from North Carolina, from 1847 to 1853. His father and six uncles were iu the Rev olutionary war, serving their country faithfully. He took part in the Rebellion of 1861 as a member of the so-called Con federate Congress, having previously been elected a Presidential Elector. Verplanck, Daniel C. —He was born in New York, in 1761, and was a Rep resentative in Congress, from that State, from 1802 to 1809. He subsequently served for many years as Judge of the County Court of Duchess County, New York, resigning in 1828, and died near Fishkill, March 29, 1834. Verplanck, Gillian C.— Born in the City of New York in August, 1786 ; graduated at Columbia College in 1801 ; pursued the study of the law ; and, after his admission to the bar, he passed sev eral years abroad, in Great Britain and on the continent. On his return home lie became interested in politics, and in 1814 was a candidate of the " malcon tents" in New York for the Assembly. In 1819 he wrote the "State Trium virate, a Political Tale," being a satire on the political parties of the day, and other works of a similar description. In 1820 he was a prominent member of the New York Legislature, in which he was Chairman of the Committee on Education. He soon after became Professor of the Evidences of Christianity, in the Theolog ical Seminary of the Protestant Episcopal Church in New York, and in 1824 he pub lished his "Essays on the Nature and Uses of the various Evidences of Revealed Religion," — a work written with simplici ty and elegance. The following year ap peared his "Essay on the Doctrine of Contracts ; being an Inquiry how Contracts are affected, in Law and Morals, by Con cealment, Error, or Inadequate Price." Beside these works, he contributed much to various magazines, and, in conjunction with Mr. Bryant and Mr. Sands, he pub lished the " Talisman," a sort of annual, three volumes of which appeared. Front* 1825 he was for eight years a member of Congress from the City of New York, and he was afterwards, for several years, a member of the New York Senate. He also published, in 1833, a collection of his dis courses and addresses on various subjects, and in 1844 and 1846 a handsome edition of Shakespeare. He was a Regent of the University of New York from January, 1826, and held many other local offices. Verree, John JP. — Born in Philadel phia, Pennsylvania, in 1819 ; is an iron manufacturer by occupation,-- the business of his whole life heretofore ; was for six years a member of the Philadelphia Select Council, and four years the presiding offi cer of that body ; and was elected a Rep resentative, from Pennsylvania, to the Thirty-sixth Congress, serving as a mem ber of the Committee on Revolutionary .Pensions. Re-elected to the Thirty-sev enth Congress. Vibbard, Chauncy.—W&s born at Galway, Saratoga County, New York, November 11,1811; received a common- school education ; was employed for sev eral years as a clerk in a store, and after wards in a railroad office, in Albany; in 1848 he became the Superintendent of the Utica and Schenectady Railway Company ; and was afterwards called to the same position in the New York Central Railway Company, in which capacity he continued until elected a Representative, from New York, to the Thirty-seventh Congress, serving as a member of the Committee on the Post Office and Post Roads. Vickers, George. — Bora in Chester- town, Kent County, Maryland, November 19, 1801 ; received an academical educa tion; became a Clerk in the office of a County Clerk ; studied law and came to the bar in 1832 ; in 1836 he was a candi date for the State Senate of Maryland ; subsequently declined the appointment of Judge tendered by Governors Hicks and Bradford: was a Delegate to the "Balti more Convention " of 1852 ; In 1364 he was a Presidential Elector; was a member of 396 BIOGEAPHICAL RECOEDS. the State Senate in I860 and 1867 ; and in 18G8 he was elected a Senator in Congress from Maryland, for the term ending in 1873, in the place of P. F. Thomas, re jected by the Senate. At the commence ment of the Rebellion he received from the Governor the appointment of Major- General of the Maryland Militia. Vinlng, John.— He was a Represent ative in Congress, from Delaware, from 1789 to 1792, having voted for locating the Seat of Government on the Potomac, and a Senator in Congress from 1795 to 1798, when he resigned. He had previously been elected a Delegate to the Continen tal Congress from 1784 to 1786. Vinton, Samuel JP.— Born at South Hadley, Massachusetts, September 25, 1792. He graduated at Williams College, Massachusetts, in 1814; studied law in Middletown, Connecticut, and was ad mitted to the bar in 1816, when he removed to Ohio, and practised his profession with eminent success. He was first elected a Representative in Congress in 1823, and served fourteen years, when he declined a re-election ; he was re-elected in 1843, and served eight years in succession, when he again declined a re-election, and retired to private life, where his tastes and wishes inclined him to remain. In 1841 he was also a Presidential Elector. While in Congress, Mr. Vinton served as Chairman of several of the most important commit tees. In 1862 he was appointed a Com missioner under the act emancipating the slaves in the District of Columbia, and died in Washington in May, 1862. Voorhees, Daniel W.— Was born in Fountain County, Indiana, September 26, 1828; graduated at the Indiana Asbury University in 1849; read law, and com menced the practice in 1851 ; in 1858 he was appointed United States District At torney for Indiana by President Buchanan, which office he held three years ; in 1859 he was engaged in the defence of John E. Cook, at Harper's Ferry, for participation in the John Brown raid. In 1860 he was elected a Representative, from Indiana, to the Thirty-seventh Congress, serving on the Committee on Elections, and was re- elected to the Thirty-eighth Congress, serving on the same committee. Occa sionally, by way of relieving the monoto ny of professional life, he is in the habit of addressing literary societies on sub jects of general interest. Re-elected to the Thirty-ninth Congress, serving on the Committee on Appropriations, but his seat was successfully contested by H. D. Washburn. 7~osef Roger. — He graduated at Har vard University in 1790; was for many years Chief Justice of the Court of Com mon Pleas in New Hampshire ; and was a Representative in Congress, from that State, from 1813 to 1817; and died April 17, 1842. Vrooin, Peter D.— He was born in New Jersey ; graduated at Columbia Col lege, New York; and was a Representa tive in Congress, from New Jersey, from 1839 to 1841. He was also Governor of New Jersey from 1829 to 1832, and for a second term from 1833 to 1836 ; and a member of the " State Constitutional Con vention" of 1844. In 1852 he was a Pres idential Elector, and in 1853 he was ap pointed Minister to Prussia. He was also a Delegate to the " Peace Congress " of 1861. Wade, Benjamin JP.— He was born in Feeding Hills Parish, Massachusetts, October 27,* 1800; received a limited edu cation, and commenced active life by teaching school and attending to agricul tural pursuits in Ohio, to which State he removed when twenty-one years of age ; he studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1828, and held the various positions of Justice of the Peace, Prosecuting At torney for Ashtabula County, State Sena tor, and President of a Judicial Circuit. In 1851 he was elected a Senator in Con gress, from Ohio, for the term ending in 1857 ; and he was re-elected for a second and third term, ending in 1869, serving as Chairman of the Committee on Territo ries and of the Special Committee on the Conduct of the War, and as a member of the Committees on Foreign Relations and on the District of Columbia. He was also a Delegate to the Philadelphia " Loy alists' Convention" of 1866; and on the meeting of the Fortieth Congress he was chosen President of the Senate pro tern. His father was a soldier, who fought in every battle of the Revolution from Bun ker Hill to Yorktown. Wade, Edward.— He was born in West Springneld, Massachusetts, Novem ber 22, 1803,"and received a common-school education; he removed with his father to Andover, Ashtabula County, Ohio, in 1821, where he remained until 1824, and en gaged in clearing the land. He studied law in Albany and Troy, New York, and was admitted to the bar in Jefferson, Ohio, in 1827, and was elected Justice of the Peace in that county; in 1832 he removed to Unionville, and remained until 1837, and finally settled in Cleveland. He was elected a Representative from Ohio in the Thirty-Third Congress, to which position he has been re-elected, serving in the Thirty-sixth Congress on the Committee on Commerce. Wadsivortli, James. —He was a Delegate, from Connecticut, to t',ie Con tinental Congress, from 1783 to 1786. BIOGRAPHICAL ItECORDS. 397 Wadsivorth, Jeremiah.— lie was a Delegate, from Connecticut to the Con tinental Congress, from 1786 to 1788, and a Representative in Congress, from that State, from 1789 to 1795. Died in 1804, aged sixty years. Wadsworth, Peleg. — Was born in Duxbury, Massachusetts, May 6, 1748; graduated at Harvard College in 1769, and afterwards engaged in commercial pur suits. He joined the army as Captain of a company of minute men, at Roxbury, in the beginning of the war, and by his skill and courage rose rapidly in the service. He was second in command of the forces sent to Penobscot by Massachusetts in 1779, on which occasion he displayed great courage, and was taken prisoner. He rose to the rank of Brigadier-General. After the war, in 1784, he established him self in Portland, Maine, in mercantile business; and was employed much in sur veying, in which he was quite skilful. In 1792 he was elected a Senator in the Leg islature of Massachusetts, and the same year was chosen the first Representative in Congress from his district. He was successively re-elected until 1806, when he declined a further nomination. In 1798 the citizens of Portland gave him a public dinner in approbation of his con duct as their Representative. In 1807 he removed to the County of Oxford, Maine, to improve a large tract of land granted to him by government for his services. Here he passed the remainder of his<days in retirement, enjoying the respect of a large circle of his friends and fellow-citi- zeiis. He died in 1829. Wadsworth, William H. — Was born in Maysville, Mason County, Ken tucky, July 4, 1821, but came of the old family of Wads worths who founded the city of Hartford, Connecticut. He re ceived his education from the Maysville Seminary and the Augusta College of Kentucky ; adopted the profession of law ; sat in the Senate of Kentucky in 1853 and 1855 ; was a Presidential Elector in 1860, presiding over the Electoral College ; and was elected a Representative, from Ken tucky, to the Thirty-seventh Congress, serving on the Committee on Naval Af fairs. Re-elected to the Thirty-eighth Congress, serving on the Committee on Public Lauds and the Joint Committee on the Library. Wagener, David D.— He was born in Pennsylvania, and was a Representa tive in Congress, from that State, from 1833 to 1841. He was a merchant, and for manj years President of the EastouBank. Diet! at Easton, Pennsylvania, October 1, I860. Waggamann, George A.— He was Secretary of State of Louisiana under three administrations ; held various other public positions; and was a Senator in Congress from 1831 to 1835. lie died at New Orleans, March 23, 1843, from the effects of a wound received in a duel, aged fifty- three years. Wagner, Peter «/.— He was born in New York, and was a Representative in Congress, from that State, from 1839 to 1841. WaTceman, Abraham. — Born in Fairiield, Connecticut, May 31, 1824. He received a district-school education ; when sixteen years of age he removed to New Rochelle, New York, and taught school ; he subsequently attended an academy in, Herkimer County as pupil, working a part of the time on a farm to pay his expenses ; he then went into the wilderness and took charge of a saw-mill: after that he went into the business of selling books by sub scription, travelling through much of the Union ; in 1844 lie commenced the study of the law in Herkimer County, New York ; went to New York, City in 1846, and was admitted to the bar in 1847; in 1850 he was elected to the Legislature ; re-elected in 1851 ; in 1854 was elected an Alderman in New York, serving two years; and in 1856 was elected a Representative to the Thirty-fifth Congress. He has also fre quently served as a member of State Con ventions. Walbridge, David 8. — Born in Bennington, Vermont, July 30, 1802; re ceived his education from the common schools of the vicinity ; has devoted him self to the various employments of the farmer, the merchant, and the miller; he removed to Michigan in 1842; and was elected a Representative in Congress, from that State, in 1854, and served until 1859. Walbridge, Henry S.— He was a Representative in Congress, from New York, from 1851 to 1853. Walbridge, Hiram.— "Born at Ith aca, Tompkins County, New York, Febru ary 2, 1821; commenced life by learning the trade of a mechanic; subsequently re ceived a good education at the Ohio Uni versity ; when twenty-three years of age was elected Brigadier-General of the Ohio Militia; and, removing to New York City, was elected a Representative in Congress from New York, serving from 1853 to 1855. In 18G5 he was President of the "Commercial Convention" held in De troit; and he was also Delegate to the Philadelphia "Loyalists' Convention " of 1866. Walden, Hiram.— He was born in Rutland County, Vermont, August 29, 1800, received a limited education, and, 398 BIOGBAPHICAL ItECOKDS. having removed with his father to New York, devoted himself to the business of cloth- dress ing and wool-carding; he took au interest in military affairs, and at tained the office of Major-General of Militia; in 1836 he was elected to the State Legislature ; in 1842 he was elected a Supervisor in the County of Schoharie ; and was a Representative in Congress, from New York, from 1849 to 1851. Waldo, LorinP. — Was born in Can terbury, Windham County, Connecticut, February 2, 1802; received a thorough English education in the common school;-!, and pursued the study of the classics to some extent under private instructors ; read law, and was admitted to practice in the courts of the State of Connecticut, in September, 1825 ; located in Tolland Coun ty, Connecticut, where he was State's At torney from 1837 to 1S49 ; was two years Judge of the Court of Probate in his dis trict, and six years a member of the Legis lature of his State. In April, 1849, he was elected to the Thirty-first Congress, and served the term. In 1852 he was elected Commissioner of the School Fund of Connecticut; was, in March, 1853, ap pointed, by President Pierce, Commis- . sioner of Pensions ; and in June, 1855, was elected, by the Legislature of Connecti cut, to the office of Judge of the Supreme Court. He was also a Delegate to the Philadelphia " National Union Conven tion " of 1866. Waldron, Henry. — He was born in Albany, New York, ' October 11, 1819; graduated at Rutgers College, New Bruns wick, New Jersey, in July, 1836; became a civil engineer by profession ; was elected to the Legislature of Michigan in 1843; and served as a Representative in Con gress daring the years 1855, 1850, 1857, and 1858, and was a member of the Com mittee on Mileage. He was re-elected to the Thirty-sixth Congress, serving on the Committee on Territories. Wales, George E. — He was born in Winclham County, Vermont; and was a Representative in Congress, from Ver mont, from 1825 to 182!)". He also served six years in the State Legislature, and was Speaker in 1823 and 1824; and was Judge of Probate, for Hartford County, from 1843 to 1848. Wales, John.— He was a Senator in Congress, from Delaware, from 1849 to 1851, in place of John M. Clayton, re signed. Died December 3, 1863. Walker, Amasa. — He was born in Woodstock, Connecticut, May 4, 1799; adopted the mercantile business ; was a member of the State Legislature in 1849; a State Senator in 1850; Secretary of State in 1851 and 1852 ; a member of the "State Constitutional Convention" of 1853; and was elected a Representative, from Massachusetts, to the Thirty-seventh Congress, for the unexpired term of G. F. Bailey, deceased. He was a Presidential Elector in 1860; and a Delegate to the Philadelphia " Loyalists' Convention " of 1866. He was also at one time a member of the Massachusetts Legislature ; and Avas the author of a work on the " Science of Wealth." Walker, Benjamin. — He was a Representative in Congress, from New York, from 1801 to 1803. Walker, David.— lie was a Repre sentative in Congress, from Kentucky, from 1817 to 1820. Died March 1, 1820, having sent a request to Congress, that his death should not be officially noticed, which request was complied with. Walker, Felix.— He was born in Hampshire County, Virginia, July 19, 1753, and was a Representative in Con gress, from North Carolina, from 1817 to 1823; was the friend and companion of Daniel Boone, when he explored Ken tucky and founded Boonsborough ; he served as a soldier in the Indian wars in the Carolinas ; settled in Tryon County, North Carolina; and was for many years in the State Legislature ; and, subsequent ly removing to the State of Mississippi, he died there in 1830. Walker, Francis. — He was a Rep resentative in Congress, from Virginia, from 1793 to 1795. Walker, Freeman.— He was a Sen ator in Congress, from Georgia, from 1819 to 1821, and resigned. Walker, George. — He was a Sen ator in Congress, from Kentucky, from 1814 to 1815, by appointment of the Governor, and was succeeded by W. T. Barry, apjfuiuted by the Legislature. Walker, Isaac P.— He was a Sen ator in Congress, from Wisconsin, from 1848 to 1855, and Chairman of the Com mittee on Revolutionary Claims. In 1841 he was a Presidential Elector. Walker, JoJin, — He was a Senator in Congress, from Virginia, during the year 17'JO, by appointment, but was super seded by J. Monroe. He was one of those who voted for locating the Seat of Government on the Potomac. Walker, John W. — He graduated at Princeton College in 1806; was a Senator in Congress, from Alabama, from 1819 to 1822; and died in April, 1823. He re signed his seat in Congress on account of BIOGEAPHICAL RECORDS. 399 ill health. It was said that he sometimes addressed the Senate when it was thought he would die before finishing. Walker, Percy, — Born near Hunts- vtlle, Alabama; received an academic education, and in 1835 graduated in the medical department of the University of Pennsylvania, and removed to Mobile. He served as an officer in a Volunteer company during the Creek war. He after wards studied law as a profession, and was admitted to the bar in 1842; he was elected by the Legislature to the office of State's Attorney for the Sixth Judicial Circuit, which he held four years. In 1839, 1847, and 1853, he represented Mobile County in the General Assembly ; and in 1855 was elected a Representative, from Alabama, to the Thirty-fourth Congress. At the next election he declined being a candidate, and resumed the practice of law. Walker, Robert «/".— Was born at Northumberland, in the State of Pennsyl vania, in 1801. He entered the University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia, where he graduated, in 1819. On leaving college, he settled in Pittsburg, studied law, and was admitted to practice in 1821. He in terested himself in politics at a very early period, and became Chairman of a Demo cratic Committee, during a State election, when only twenty-two years of age. A year or two later he took part in the move ment in favor of nominating General Jack son to the Presidency, and was instru mental in bringing about the action of the "Harrisburg Convention," which nomi nated Jackson for that office in 1824. In the spring of 182G he moved to the State of Mississippi. He uniformly refused politi cal office until 1836, when he was chosen a Senator in Congress, serving until 1845. In that body he was one of the leaders of his party. In March, 1845, on President Polk's accession to office, he was called upon to take charge of the Treasury De partment, which he administered for four years. He subsequently visited England, where he met with flattering attentions. After having been for some years out of the pale of politics, he was appointed, by President Buchanan, in 1857, Governor of the Territory of Kansas, which office he resigned. He was also a Delegate to the Phiiadephia " National Union Conven tion" of 18G6. Walker, William A.— He was born in New Hampshire ; and was a Represent ative, in Congress, from New York, from 1853 to 1855. Died at New York, Decem ber 18, 1861. Wall, Garret Z).— Born in Mon- mouth County, New Jersey, March 10, 1783 ; received an academical education, and in 1798 commenced the study of law at Trenton ; in 1804 was licensed as an at torney, and in 1807 as counsellor at-law. Was appointed Clerk of the Supreme Court, in 1812, which office he held for five years. He commanded a Volunteer company at the defence of Sandy Hook in the war of 1812; and was Quartermaster- General of the State from 1815 to 1837. In 1827 he was elected to the General Assembly. In 1829 was appointed United States District Attorney lor New Jersey ; and the same year elected Governor of the State, by the Legislature, but declined the appointment. He was a member of the United States Senate from 1835 to 1841. In 1843 his health was greatly im paired by a stroke of paralysis ; but in 1848 he was appointed Judge of the Court of Errors and Appeals, which office he occupied until his death, which occurred in Burlington, New Jersey, November 22, 1850. His disease was dropsy on the chest. Wall, James W. — Was born in Trenton, New Jersey, in 1820; his father. Garret D. Wall, having been a Senator before him ; graduated at Princeton Col lege, in 1839 ; studied law, and com menced the practice in Trenton ; his first public position was that of Commissioner of Bankruptcy; in 1847 he settled in Bur lington, and devoted some attention to literary pursuits; in 1850 he was elected Mayor of Burlington ; and in 1854 he vis ited Europe, and published a volume, entitled "Foreign Etchings; or, Visits to the Old World's Pleasant Places." Dur ing the early part of the Rebellion he wrote against the administration in power, for interfering with the freedom of the press, and was imprisoned for a few weeks, in Fort Lafayette, and on his re lease was welcomed home with great enthusiasm by his fellow-citizens ; and in January, 18G3, he was elected a Senator in Congress, from New Jersey, for the unexpired term of John W. Thompson, deceased, but which seat was for a short time occupied by R. S. Field. Wall, William. — Was born in Phila delphia, March 20, 1801 ; served seven years as an apprentice to a ropemaker ; removed to King's County, Long Island, in 1822, where he followed his business of ropemaking so successfully that when he gave it up in 1856 he had acquired a large fortune. While thus engaged in active business, he was called upon to fill a great number of local offices, such as Commissioner of Highways, School Trus tee, Supervisor, Commissioner of Water works, etc. ; and in 1860 he was elected a Representative from New York to the Thirty-seventh Congress, serving on the Committees on Revolutionary Claims, and Expenditures on Public Buildings. He was also a Delegate to the Philadelphia "Loyalists' Convention" of 1806. 400 BIOGRAPHICAL RECORDS. Wallace, Daniel.— He was born in South Carolina, and was a Representative in Congress, from that State, from 1847 to 1853. Wallace, David.— He was born in Philadelphia, April 4, 1799 ; graduated at West Point in 1821, and served for a time as Professor of Mathematics. In 1828 he was a member of the Indiana Legislature ; elected Lieutenant-Governor of the State in 1830 and in 1833; Governor of the State from 1837 to 1840; and was a Repre sentative in Congress, from Indiana, from 1841 to 1843 ; and subsequently to his ser vice in Congress was Prosecuting Attor ney for the State; a member of the " State Constitutional Convention ;" and in 1856 was elected Judge of the Court of Com mon Pleas at Indianapolis, where he died, September 5, 1859. Wallace, James M, — He was born in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, and was a Representative in Congress, from that State, from 1815 to 1821. It is said he always protested against the initial M. in his name, but never got rid of it in the Journals of Congress. Wallace, John W.— He was born in Pennsylvania, and elected a Represent ative, from that State, to the Thirty- seventh Congress, serving on the Com mittee on Claims. Wallace, William H.— Bora in Miami County, Ohio, July 17, 1811 ; spent his early life in Indiana; removed to Iowa in 1837 ; was elected to the State Legisla ture of Iowa, and served as Speaker; and also as President of the State Coun cil ; was appointed, by President Taylor, Receiver of Public Moneys at Fairfleld, Iowa; removed to Washington Territory in 1853 ; served several sessions in the Territorial Legislature ; was appointed, in 1861, by President Lincoln, Governor of Washington Territory; was elected a Delegate therefrom to the Thirty-seventh Congress ; was appointed the first Gov ernor of Idaho Territory; and re-elected to the Thirty-eighth Congress, as a Dele gate from Idaho. He was a member of the National Committee to accompany the remains of President Lincoln to Illinois. He was also a Delegate to the Philadel phia "National Union Convention " of 1866. Walleii, Samuel H.— Born in Bos ton, Massachusetts, August 31, 1805; fitted for college at Andover Academy; graduated at Harvard College in 1826 ; studied law ; officiated for twenty years as Treasurer of a savings bank in Boston for the benefit of seamen; was also Treasurer, for a long time, of a railroad in Vermont, and one in New York; he was also a mem ber of the State Legislature for eight sessions, and Speaker of the House for two years; and a Representative in Con gress from 1853 to 1855. On his return from Washington he was the Whig can didate for Governor of Massachusetts, but was defeated; was a Bank Commis sioner in 1858; and in 1859 became Presi dent of the Revere Bank, of Boston. Wain, Robert. — He was a prominent merchant in Philadelphia, and a member of Congress, from Pennsylvania, from 1798 to 1801, first for the unexpired term of John Swanwick, and was re-elected. Died January 24, 1836, aged seventy-one years. Walsh, MiJce.— Born in Yanghull. Ireland, but brought to this country when a child; spent his boyhood as a wanderer; conducted a paper in New York called the " Subterranean," in which ho published certain libels, for which he was impris oned two years ; and he was a Represent ative in Congress, from New York, from 1853 to 1855. He subsequently visited Europe, and also Mexico, and on March 17, 1859, was found dead in the yard of a public house in New York. The cause of his death is unknown. Walsh, Thomas Y. — He was a na tive of Maryland, and a Representative in Congress, from that State, from 1851 to 1853. Walton, Charles W. — Was born in Mexico, Oxford County, Maine, December 9, 1819; was bred a printer; studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1843 ; in 1847 was elected Attorney for Oxford County, which he held for four years ; re moving to Androscoggin County in 1855, was elected Attorney for that count}' in 1857, which office he held until 1860, when he was elected a Representative from Maine to the Thirty-seventh Congress, serving on the Committee on Private Land Claims. In May, in 1862, he re signed his seat in Congress, and was ap pointed, by the Governor, a Judge of the Supreme Court of Maine. Walton, E. P. — Born at Montpelier, Vermont, February 17, 1812; studied law, but was a practical printer and editor, having for several years edited the " Ver mont Watchman ; " he served in the State Legislature, as Representative, one term ; and was then elected a Representative to the Thirty-fifth Congress, and was a mem ber of the Committee on Public Expendi tures. He was also re-elected to the Thirty-sixth and Thirty-seventh Congress es, serving as a member of the Comm-ittee on Claims, and Chairman of that on Print ing. He was also a Delegate to the " Bal timore Convention " of 1864, and, to the Philadelphia "Loyalists' Convention" of BIOGRAPHICAL RECORDS. 401 18GG. After leaving Congress he resumed the editorship of his journal in Moutpe- licr, Vermont. Walton, George. — He was a native of Virginia; born in 1740; he served an apprenticeship to the carpenter's trade, after the expiration of which he removed to Georgia, studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1774. He was one of the four individuals who called a public meet ing at Savannah to concert measures for the defence of the country in 1774; was one of the committee who prepared a pe tition to the king, and drew up the patriotic resolutions adopted on that oc casion. He was active in promoting the Revolution at home, and, in 1776 was a Delegate to Congress, from Georgia, and a signer of the Declaration of Indepen dence, and of the articles of Confeder ation. When the enemy attacked Savannah he was dangerously wounded, and taken prisoner, but was released in 1779, and the same year was chosen Governor of the State ; in 1780 was again sent to Con gress; and in 1783 was appointed Chief Justice of the State; in 1787 was a Dele gate to the Convention for framing the Constitution of the United States, but de clined taking his seat; in 1789 he was a Presidential Elector; in 1793 was again Judge of the Supreme Court; and in 1795 was elected to succeed James Jackson as a Senator in Congress, but was super seded by J. Tatnall. He died February 2, 1804. Walton, Matthew.— He was a Eep- resentative in Congress, from Kentucky, from 1803 to 1807, and a Presidential Elector in 1809. Died January 18, 1819. Walworfh, Reuben Ifi/de. — He was born at Bozrah, Connecticut, in Octo ber, 1789. He spent his earlier years on a farm, and had few advantages of education. He commenced the study of law at the age of seventeen, and when twenty was ad mitted to practice, and when twenty-two was licensed as an attorney of the Supreme Court of New York. He settled atPlatts- burg, in 1811, and held successively the offices of Master in Chancery, officer of militia during the siege of Plattsburg, in 1814, and Adjutant General of the com bined forces, having as such participated in the battles of Beekmanstown and Pike's Cantonment. He was a member of the House during the Seventeenth Congress, declined a re-election, and was appointed a Circuit Judge in 1823; and in 1828 he was made Chancellor of the State of New York which he held for twenty years, when the office was abolished. His opin ions as Chancellor were published in four teen volumes, while his other opinions occupy as many more. From Yale College he received the degree of LL.D. Died in Saratoga, November 28, 1867. 26 Ward, Aaron. — HQ was born at Sing Sing, New York, July 5, 1790; was educated at Mount Pleasant Academy, and adopted the profession of law. lie served, in 1813, in the regular army as a Captain ; was, for a time after the war, District Attorney for the County of Westchester, and subsequently attained the position of Major-General of the New York Militia. His terms of service as a Representative in Congress were from 1823 to 1829, from 1831 to 1837, and from 1841 to 1843. In 1846 he wasaDelegate to the " State Con stitutional Convention ;" in 1833 he visited Europe, where he spent two years ; and on his return he published a book of travels. While in Congress, and after his retire ment, he did all in his power to secure a good education for the children of sol diers. Died in Georgetown, D. C., March 2, 1867. Ward, Artemas. — Graduated at Harvard College in 1748. He was a Rep resentative in the Massachusetts Legisla ture; a member of the Common Council of Boston ; and a Judge of the Court of Common Pleas for the County of Worces ter. June 17, 1775, he was appointed Major-General of the American Army, and was instrusted with the command of the right wing of the troops stationed at Rox- bury for the siege of Boston. He was n. Delegate to the Provincial Congress, and a Representative in the United States Con gress, from Massachusetts, from 1791 to 1795. He was much esteemed by Wash ington, and although he resigned his com mission in April, 1776, yet, at the request of the Commander-in-Chief he continued some time longer in the service. He was a man of exemplary piety and incorrupti ble integrity. After a long and patient endurance of many sufferings, he died, October 28, 1800, aged seventy-three years. Ward, Artemas.— He was a native of Massachusetts, and born in 17G3; grad uated at Harvard University in 1783; he studied law and was admitted to practice, and soon became eminent in his profession. He was elected a Representative in Con gress, from Massachusetts, from 1813 to 1817; in 1821 he was appointed Chief Jus tice of the Court of Common Pleas, which office he held for nineteen years. He died in Boston, October 7, 1847. He was hon ored with the degree of LL.D from Har vard University. Ward, A. JET.— He was elected a Rep resentative, from Kentucky, to the Thirty- ninth Congress, for the unexpircd terra of G. C. Smith resigned, serving on the Committee on Mileage and the Militia. Ward, Elijah.— He was born in Sing Sing, New York, September 16, 1816; re ceived an academic education, and was 402 BIOGRAPHICAL EECOEDS. bred a merchant, chiefly in the city of New York, where he was President of the Mercantile Library Association in 1839 ; he studied law at the University of New York, and was admitted to the bar in 1843 ; He was elected a Representative, from New York, to the Thirty-fifth Congress, serving on the Committee on the District of Co lumbia. In 18GO he was re-elected to the Thirty-seventh Congress, and in 1862 to the Thirty-eighth Congress, serving on the Committees on Roads and Canals, and on Commerce. Ward, Hamilton.— lie was born in Salisbury, Herkimer County, New York, July 3, 1829 ; received a liberal education ; studied law and came to the bar at Coop- erstown in 1851, settling, in the practice of his profession, at Belmont, Alleghany County; in 1856 he was elected District Attorney for said county, holding the office three years, and was re-elected in 1862; during that year under an appoint ment of the Governor, he was active in raising and organizing the State troops ; and in 1864 he was elected a Representa tive, from New York, to the Thirty-ninth Congress, serving on the Committees on Claims, and on Accounts. Re-elected to the Fortieth Congress, serving on the Committee on the Assassination of Presi dent Lincoln ; and Chairman of the Com mittee on Revolutionary Claims; and he was also a Delegate to the " State Repub lican Convention " of 1867. Ward, Jonathan. — He was a native of New York, and a Representative in Congress, from 1815 to 1817, having been n State Senator, from Westchester County, from 1807 to 1810. Ward, Matthias. — He was born in Elbert County, Georgia, but grew up to manhood in Madison County, Alabama. He received an academic education ; was a school-teacher for two years; studied law and became a citizen of the Republic of Texas in 1836. He served a number of years in the Congress of that Republic, and when it became a State was elected to the Legislature as a Senator. He was a member of the two conventions which nominated Mr. Pierce and Mr. Buchanan for the office of President ; in 1856 he was chosen President of the State Democratic Convention held at Austin; and in 1858 was appointed a Senator in Congress, from Texas, for the term ending in 18G3. Died at Raleigh, North Carolina, October 13, 1861. Ward, Samuel.— A. native of Rhode Island ; was honorably associated in the struggle for American Independence. He was a Delegate to the Continental Congress, from Rhode Island, from 1774 to 1776, and died in Philadelphia, March 25, 1776, while attending a session of Con gress. Ward, Thomas. — Was a Represent ative in Congress, from New Jersey, from 1813 to 18177 He died at Newark, New Jersey, February 4, 1842, aged eighty- three. Ward, William T.— He was born in Kentucky; and was a Representative in Congress, from that State, from 1851 to 1853. Wardivell, Daniel.— Was born in Bristol, Rhode Island, in 1791, his father having fought in the Revolution; gradu ated at Brown University in 1811; soon afterwards removed to Rome, New York, where he studied law and was admitted to the bar; was four times elected to the Legislature of his adopted State; was, for several years, Judge of a County Court; and he was a Representative in Congress, from New York, from 1831 to 1837, serving as Chairman of the Committee on Revolu tionary Pensions. Ware, Nicholas. — He was a Senator in Congress, from Georgia, from 1821 to the time of his death, which occurred in New York City, September 7, 1824. Warfleld, Henry It.— Was born in Anne Arundel County, Maryland; and was a Representative in Congress, from that State, from 1819 to 1825. On the morning of March 18, 1839. he was found dead in his bed at Frederick, Maryland. Warner, Hiram.— Born in Hamp shire County, Massachusetts, October 29, 1802; he received a good common-school education, with some knowledge of the classics, and emigrated to Georgia at the age of seventeen, and there taught school for three years ; with his earnings he was enabled to study the profession of law, and was admitted to practice in 1825, and opened an office at Knoxville, in Crawford County. From 1828 to 1831 he was a Rep resentative in the General Assembly, and declined a re-election. In 1833 he was elected by the Legislature one of the Judges of the Superior Courts of the State, and was reappointed in 1836, holding the office until 1840. From that time till 1845 he was engaged in alucrative practice, and was that year appointed one of the Judges of the Supreme Court, serving for eight years, and then resigned. In 1855 he was elected a Representative in the Thirty- fourth Congress, and declined a re-election in 1857. Warner, Samuel L. — Born in Wethersfield, Connecticut, in 1829; re ceived an academical education and set tled in Middletown ; prepared himself for BIOGRAPHICAL EECOEDS. 403 the legal profession by a course of study at the Yale and Harvard law schools, com ing to the bar In 1853 ; in the latter part of that year he was appointed Executive Secretary of State; in 1857 he was a member of the Connecticut Legislature ; in 1861 lie was elected Mayor of Middletown, and re-elected until 1865, when he was elected a Representative, from Connecti cut, to the Thirty-ninth Congress, serving on the Committees on Public Expenditures, and Expenditures in the Navy Department. Prior to 1861 he was identified with the Democratic party, and was a Delegate to and a Secretary of the " Baltimore Con vention " of 1860. He was also a Delegate to the Philadelphia "Loyalists' Conven tion " of 1866. Warren, Cornelius. — Born in Put nam County, New York, in 1790, and died at Cold Spring, July 28, 1849. He was a member of Congress, from New York, from 1847 until his death. Warren, Edward A. — Born in Greene County. Alabama, May 2, 1818; re ceived a liberal education, and studied the profession of law. He served in the Mississippi Legislature in 1845 and 1846, and in the Legislature of Arkansas, in 1848 and 1849, as Speaker of the House. In 1850 he was elected State's Attorney for the Sixth Judicial District of Arkan sas ; and was a Representative, from that State, in the Thirty-third Congress, and was re-elected to the Thirty-fifth. He was a member of the Committees on the Militia, and Railroads and Canals. Warren, Lott. — Born in Berke County, Georgia, October 30, 1797 ; com menced life as a clerk in a store ; served in the Seminole war as a Second Lieuten ant of Militia in 1818; studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1821; in 1823 he was elected a Major of Battalion ; in 1824 went to the State Legislature ; in 1825 was appointed Solicitor-General to fill a vacancy; in 1830 he was sent to the State Senate; in 1831 again elected to the lower house; and he was a Represent ative in Congress, from 1839 to 1843. He was subsequently devoted to the pro fession of law. 