William Finney Bayless (August 25, 1814 – February 23, 1873) was an American politician and farmer 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, ...

from 1860 to 1861 and the

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- ...

in 1864.

Early life

William Finney Bayless was born on August 25, 1814, at the Bayless homestead, near the Deer Creek Harmony Presbyterian Church, in Glenville, Maryland, to Mary (née Silver) and Zephaniah Bayless. He attended the private and classical schools in the area.

Career

Bayless worked as a farmer. Bayless served in 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 ...

, from 1860 to July 1861. In 1863, Bayless was nominated by the Union Party for the

. He represented Harford County in the senate in 1864. Bayless served as school commissioner in Harford County. He also served as president of the county board of school commissioners. Bayless was a

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

. Bayless helped build the Deer Creek Harmony Presbyterian Church. He served as trustee in 1839. He also served as secretary and treasurer of the church for 34 years. He was an elder and clerk of the church for 18 years, up until his death. He served as trustee and secretary of the board of the

Churchville Presbyterian Church Churchville Presbyterian Church is a historic Presbyterian church located at Churchville, Harford County, Maryland. It consists of three harmoniously designed sections: the original one-story, four by three bay, gable-roofed brick building da ...

from January 1845 to April 1856.

Personal life

Bayless married Eleanor Brooke on November 30, 1842. They had two children, Samuel Martin (born 1847) and Eleanor (1849–1862). Bayless married Sarah Elizabeth Hanna on June 1, 1853. They had six children, William Hanna (born 1854), John Zephaniah (born 1856), Oliver Parker (1861–1862), Mary Ellenor (born 1864), Betty (born 1865) and Lillian Jane (1870–1892). Bayless died on February 23, 1873, at his home near Glenville. He was buried at Harmony Presbyterian Church in

Havre de Grace, Maryland Havre de Grace (), abbreviated HdG, is a city in Harford County, Maryland, Harford County, Maryland. It is situated at the mouth of the Susquehanna River and the head of Chesapeake Bay. It is named after the port city of Le Havre, France, which ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bayless, William F. 1814 births 1873 deaths People from Harford County, Maryland Members of the Maryland House of Delegates Maryland state senators Presbyterians from Maryland