Edward Oliver Wolcott (March 26, 1848 – March 1, 1905) was an American politician during the 1890s, who served for 12 years as a

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

from the state of

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the 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 western edge of the ...

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 ...

, 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 Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class i ...

, from where he graduated in 1875.

Career

He served in the 150th Ohio Volunteer Infantry during the American Civil War. He enlisted at age 16.

Legal and political career

After graduating from

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 power ...

. 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 United ...

, 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, Na ...

, Wolcott was a leading advocate for the coinage of silver. In 1897, President McKinley named him chairman of the commission sent to Europe to report on international

bimetallism Bimetallism, also known as the bimetallic standard, is a monetary standard in which the value of the monetary unit is defined as equivalent to certain quantities of two metals, typically gold and silver, creating a fixed rate of exchange betwe ...

. 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 St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in London and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London. It is on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London and is a Grad ...

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 Southe ...

. 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. 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 l ...

. 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