William Clayton Anderson (December 26, 1826 – December 23, 1861) was a nineteenth-century slave owner, lawyer, and politician. He served as a

United States 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 ...

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 to ...

Early life and career

Anderson was born in Lancaster, Garrard County, Kentucky, the son of

Simeon H. Anderson Simeon H. Anderson (March 2, 1802 – August 11, 1840) was a slave owner and United States Representative from Kentucky. He was born near Lancaster, Kentucky, where he pursued preparatory studies. In addition, he studied law and was admitted to th ...

and nephew of

Albert G. Talbott Albert Gallatin Talbott (April 4, 1808 – September 9, 1887) was a United States representative from Kentucky and a slaveholder. He was the uncle of William Clayton Anderson and Margaret Anderson Watts. He was born near Paris, Kentucky and he m ...

. He attended private schools and graduated from

Centre College Centre College is a private liberal arts college in Danville, Kentucky. It is an undergraduate college with an enrollment of approximately 1,400 students. Centre was officially chartered by the Kentucky General Assembly in 1819. The college is ...

Danville, Kentucky Danville is a home rule-class city in Boyle County, Kentucky, United States. It is the seat of its county. The population was 17,236 at the 2020 Census. Danville is the principal city of the Danville Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes ...

in 1845. He then studied law and was admitted to the bar. He began his practice in Lancaster and in 1847 moved to Danville and continued practicing law. Anderson served as a member of the

Kentucky House of Representatives The Kentucky House of Representatives is the lower house of the Kentucky General Assembly. It is composed of 100 Representatives elected from single-member districts throughout the Commonwealth. Not more than two counties can be joined to form ...

from 1851 to 1853. He was a presidential elector on the American Party ticket of

Millard Fillmore Millard Fillmore (January 7, 1800March 8, 1874) was the 13th president of the United States, serving from 1850 to 1853; he was the last to be a member of the Whig Party while in the White House. A former member of the U.S. House of Represen ...

and Donaldson in 1856. An unsuccessful candidate for the

Thirty-fifth Congress The 35th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1857, ...

, Anderson was elected two years later as an

Opposition Party Parliamentary opposition is a form of political opposition to a designated government, particularly in a Westminster-based parliamentary system. This article uses the term ''government'' as it is used in Parliamentary systems, i.e. meaning ''th ...

candidate to the

Thirty-sixth Congress The 36th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1859, ...

, serving from March 4, 1859 to March 3, 1861. He chose not to seek reelection; and was elected instead as a Unionist candidate to the Kentucky House of Representatives.

Death

Anderson died on December 23, 1861 while on the house floor during a session of the legislature in Frankfort, Kentucky . He died three days before he would have been 35 years old. He is interred at

Bellevue Cemetery Bellevue Cemetery is a historic cemetery in Lawrence and Methuen, Massachusetts. Established in 1847 and owned by the city of Lawrence, it is the first and principal cemetery of the city and a notable example of a rural cemetery. In conjunctio ...

in Danville, Kentucky.

References

External links

Govtrack US Congress

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, William Clayton 1826 births 1861 deaths Burials in Bellevue Cemetery (Danville, Kentucky) People from Lancaster, Kentucky Kentucky Know Nothings Opposition Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Kentucky Kentucky Unionists Members of the Kentucky House of Representatives Politicians from Danville, Kentucky Centre College alumni 19th-century American politicians Members of the United States House of Representatives from Kentucky

Early life and career

Death

References

Further reading

External links