William Brown Read (December 14, 1817 – August 5, 1880) was a 19th-century politician and lawyer from

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

. Born in

Hardin County, Kentucky Hardin County is a county located in the central part of the U.S. state of Kentucky. Its county seat is Elizabethtown. The county was formed in 1792. Hardin County is part of the Elizabethtown-Fort Knox, KY Metropolitan Statistical Area, as we ...

, Read completed preparatory studies, studied law and was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

, commencing practice in

Hodgenville, Kentucky Hodgenville is a home rule-class city in LaRue County, Kentucky, United States. It is the seat of its county. Hodgenville sits along the North Fork of the Nolin River. The population was 3,206 at the 2010 census. It is included in the Elizabet ...

in 1849. He was a member of the Kentucky Senate from 1857 to 1865, was a delegate to both of the

Democratic National Conventions The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 ...

in 1860 and was an unsuccessful candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky in 1863, losing to Richard T. Jacob. Read was again a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1864, was a member of the Kentucky House of Representatives from 1867 to 1869 and was elected a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

to the

United States House of Representatives 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 ...

in 1870, serving from 1871 to 1875, being unsuccessful for renomination in 1874. Afterwards, he resumed practicing law until his death in

on August 5, 1880. He was interred in Red Hill Cemetery in Hodgenville.

External links

* 1817 births 1880 deaths Democratic Party members of the Kentucky House of Representatives Democratic Party Kentucky state senators Kentucky lawyers People of Kentucky in the American Civil War People from Hardin County, Kentucky People from Hodgenville, Kentucky Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Kentucky 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American lawyers {{Kentucky-politician-stub