Henry Wayland Hill (November 13, 1853 – December 6, 1929) was an American lawyer, writer and politician from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

Life

He was born on November 13, 1853, in

Isle La Motte Isle La Motte is an island in Lake Champlain in northwestern Vermont, United States. At 7 mi (11 km) by 2 mi (3 km), it lies close to the place that the lake empties into the Richelieu River. It is incorporated as a New England town in Grand Isle ...

Grand Isle County, Vermont Grand Isle County is a county in the U.S. state of Vermont. As of the 2020 census, the population was 7,293, making it Vermont's second-least populous county. Its shire town (county seat) is North Hero. The county was created in 1802 and organ ...

, the son of Dyer Hill, a member of the

Vermont Legislature The Vermont General Assembly is the legislative body of the state of Vermont, in the United States. The Legislature is formally known as the "General Assembly," but the style of "Legislature" is commonly used, including by the body itself. The G ...

in 1849 and 1850, and Martha P. (Hall) Hill. He attended the common schools and worked on his father's farm. He graduated

A.B. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

from the

University of Vermont The University of Vermont (UVM), officially the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont. It was founded in 1791 and is amon ...

in 1876, and then taught school. He was Principal of Swanton Academy from 1877 to 1879; and of the Academy and Union School at

Chateaugay, New York Chateaugay is a town in Franklin County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 2,155. The name is derived from a location in France, which was applied to a local land grant. Within the town is a village also ...

from 1879 to 1883. On August 11, 1880, he married Harriet A. Smith (1858–1939). In 1881, he received the degree of

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

from Vermont University. While teaching, he also studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1884, and practiced 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 South ...

. Hill was a delegate to the

New York State Constitutional Convention The Constitution of the State of New York establishes the structure of the government of the State of New York, and enumerates the basic rights of the citizens of New York. Like most state constitutions in the United States, New York's constituti ...

of 1894; and a member of the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Assem ...

(Erie Co., 2nd D.) in

1896 Events January–March * January 2 – The Jameson Raid comes to an end, as Jameson surrenders to the Boers. * January 4 – Utah is admitted as the 45th U.S. state. * January 5 – An Austrian newspaper reports that Wil ...

1897 Events January–March * January 2 – The International Alpha Omicron Pi sorority is founded, in New York City. * January 4 – A British force is ambushed by Chief Ologbosere, son-in-law of the ruler. This leads to a puniti ...

1898 Events January–March * January 1 – New York City annexes land from surrounding counties, creating the City of Greater New York as the world's second largest. The city is geographically divided into five boroughs: Manhattan, B ...

, 1899 and

1900 As of March 1 ( O.S. February 17), when the Julian calendar acknowledged a leap day and the Gregorian calendar did not, the Julian calendar fell one day further behind, bringing the difference to 13 days until February 28 ( O.S. February 15), 2 ...

. In 1900, the University of Vermont conferred on him the degree of

LL.D. Legum Doctor (Latin: “teacher of the laws”) (LL.D.) or, in English, Doctor of Laws, is a doctorate-level academic degree in law or an honorary degree, depending on the jurisdiction. The double “L” in the abbreviation refers to the early ...

He was a member of the

New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature; the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Its members are elected to two-year terms; there are no term limits. There are 63 seats in the Senate. Partisan com ...

from 1901 to 1910, sitting in the 124th, 125th, 126th, 127th, 128th, 129th (all six 47th D.), 130th, 131st, 132nd and

133rd New York State Legislature The 133rd New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 5 to July 1, 1910, during the fourth year of Charles Evans Hughes's governorship, in Albany. Background Under the p ...

s (all four 48th D.). He was President of the Buffalo Historical Society from 1910 until his death; and in 1923 edited ''Municipality of Buffalo, New York: A History, 1720–1923''. He died on December 6, 1929, in

, of a heart attack after a long illness; and was buried at the Riverside Cemetery in Swanton, Vermont.''HENRY WAYLAND HILL; Former State Senator Dies in Buffalo at Age of 76''
in NYT on December 7, 1929 (subscription required)

Sources

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hill, Henry W. 1853 births 1929 deaths Republican Party New York (state) state senators Politicians from Buffalo, New York Republican Party members of the New York State Assembly People from Isle La Motte, Vermont Lawyers from Buffalo, New York 19th-century American lawyers