William B. Stephenson (June 16, 1802 – February 13, 1884) was an American politician and judge from Maryland. He served in the

Maryland House of Delegates The Maryland House of Delegates is the lower house of the legislature of the State of Maryland. It consists of 141 delegates elected from 47 districts. The House of Delegates Chamber is in the Maryland State House on State Circle in Annapolis, ...

and

Maryland Senate The Maryland Senate, sometimes referred to as the Maryland State Senate, is the upper house of the General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. Composed of 47 senators elected from an equal number of constituent single- ...

Early life

William B. Stephenson was born on June 16, 1802, in

Harford County, Maryland Harford County is located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 census, the population was 260,924. Its county seat is Bel Air. Harford County is included in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is al ...

, to Priscilla (or Mary) (née Hopkins) and James Stephenson. His father was a slaveholder, served in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

, and was a hotelier in

Perryville, Maryland Perryville is a town in Cecil County, Maryland, United States. The population was 4,361 at the 2010 census. The town is located near an access for Interstate 95, on the north side of the outlet of the Susquehanna River. History Perryville was fir ...

. His brother was

George Stephenson George Stephenson (9 June 1781 – 12 August 1848) was a British civil engineer and mechanical engineer. Renowned as the "Father of Railways", Stephenson was considered by the Victorians a great example of diligent application and thirst for ...

Career

Stephenson was a Whig, but changed to the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

during President Jackson's second campaign. He started his political career in 1830. In 1830, Stephenson was elected to the Harford County Levy Court. Stephenson served as a member of the

, representing

Harford County Harford County is located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 census, the population was 260,924. Its county seat is Bel Air. Harford County is included in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is al ...

, in 1843, 1845 to 1846 and 1852 to 1853. He served as a member of the

, representing Harford County from 1865 to 1867 and from 1870 to 1872. He was succeeded by John Carroll Walsh. Stephenson was a lawyer and owned a farm of 300 acres in Harford County. He also served as a colonel in the militia.

Personal life

Stephenson married and had no children. His wife predeceased him. He bequeathed his farm to his adopted daughter, Elizabeth, who married state delegate William B. Hopkins. Stephenson died on February 13, 1884, at his home near Rock Run in Harford County, Maryland. He was buried at

Rock Run United Methodist Church Rock Run United Methodist Church is a one-story building, with stone walls and a slate-covered gable roof, located on a 1.24 acre plot of land at the corner of Craig's Corner Road and Rock Run Road near Level, Maryland, USA, and approximately six ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stephenson, William B. 1802 births 1884 deaths Politicians from Harford County, Maryland Democratic Party members of the Maryland House of Delegates Democratic Party Maryland state senators Maryland lawyers 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century American legislators 19th-century Maryland politicians