Edward Oliver Wolcott (March 26, 1848 – March 1, 1905) was an American politician during the 1890s, who served for 12 years as a
Senator from the state of
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...
.
Early life
Wolcott was born on March 26, 1848 in
Longmeadow, Massachusetts
Longmeadow is a town in Hampden County, Massachusetts, in the United States. The population was 15,853 at the 2020 census.
History
Longmeadow was first settled in 1644, and officially incorporated October 17, 1783. The town was originally farm ...
. He was one of eleven children born to Harriet Amanda ( Pope) Wolcott and
Samuel Wolcott, D.D., a Congregationalist minister, missionary, and writer of hymns. Among his siblings were
Anna Wolcott Vaile, an educator who established the Wolcott School for Girls.
A native of
Hampden County, Massachusetts
Hampden County is a non-governmental county located in the Pioneer Valley of the state of Massachusetts, in the United States. As of the 2020 census, Hampden County's population was 465,825. Its traditional county seat is Springfield, the Co ...
, Wolcott moved to Ohio as a boy.
He was a descendant of
Oliver Wolcott
Oliver Wolcott Sr. (November 20, 1726 December 1, 1797) was an American Founding Father and politician. He was a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation as a representative of Connecticut, and t ...
, signer of the
United States Declaration of Independence
The United States Declaration of Independence, formally The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen States of America, is the pronouncement and founding document adopted by the Second Continental Congress meeting at Pennsylvania State House ( ...
.
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, ...
before attending
Harvard Law School, from where he graduated in 1875.
Career
He served in the
150th Ohio Volunteer Infantry during the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...
.
He enlisted at age 16.
Legal and political career
After graduating from
Harvard Law School in 1875, he moved to Colorado where he set up a law practice. In the late 1890s and early 1900s, one of the partners in his practice was
Charles W. Waterman, later a
United States senator
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and powe ...
.
From 1876 to 1879 he served as a district attorney in Colorado. In 1879, Wolcott moved to
Denver
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
, where he began his political career as a Colorado state senator (1879–1882).
[ Nevins, Allan. ''Henry White : Thirty Years of American Diplomacy''. New York : Harper & Brothers, 1930.] In 1889, he was chosen to represent Colorado in the U.S. Senate, as a member of the
Republican Party. When he entered Congress, he was the youngest member of the Senate.
He was reelected in 1895, and was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1901, 1902 and 1903.
While in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, Wolcott was a leading advocate for the coinage of silver. In 1897,
President McKinley
William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until his assassination in 1901. As a politician he led a realignment that made his Republican Party largely dominant in ...
named him chairman of the commission sent to
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...
to report on international
bimetallism. He was a popular host and guest in Washington society. He was chairman of the Committee on Civil Service and Retrenchment (
51st and
52nd Congresses), and the Committee on Post Office and Post Roads (
54th through
56th Congresses).
In 1900, Wolcott was denied renomination to the Senate, which ended his political career. He once again took up the practice of law in Colorado, and maintained that practice until his death.
[. ''Biographical Directory of the United States Congress''.]
Personal life
In 1890, Wolcott was married to
Frances Esther (née Metcalfe) Bass (1851–1933) by The Rev. Francis Lobdell at
St. Paul's Cathedral in
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...
. Frances, the widow of
U.S. Representative
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...
Lyman K. Bass, was the daughter of James Harvey Metcalfe and Erzelia Frances ( Stetson) Metcalfe of Buffalo.
From her first marriage, she was the mother of
Lyman M. Bass, the
U.S. Attorney for the Western District of New York The United States Attorney for the Western District of New York is the chief federal law enforcement officer in seventeen New York counties: Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Chemung, Erie, Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Niagara, Ontario, Orlea ...
. They later divorced in 1899.
Wolcott died on March 1, 1905 while he was on vacation in
Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo (; ; french: Monte-Carlo , or colloquially ''Monte-Carl'' ; lij, Munte Carlu ; ) is officially an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco, specifically the ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is ...
.
Wolcott's remains were cremated in Paris, and the ashes were interred at
Woodlawn Cemetery in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
.
Legacy
The town of
Wolcott in
Eagle County, Colorado
Eagle County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 55,731. The county seat is the Town of Eagle and the most populous community is Edwards. The county is named for the Eagle River.
Eagl ...
is named after him. It was originally known as Bussells, but was changed to Wolcott in his honor.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wolcott, Edward O.
1848 births
1905 deaths
People from Longmeadow, Massachusetts
Republican Party United States senators from Colorado
Republican Party Colorado state senators
Colorado lawyers
Union Army soldiers
People of Ohio in the American Civil War
Politicians from Denver
Harvard Law School alumni
19th-century American politicians
20th-century American lawyers
19th-century American lawyers