William Daniel Brayton (November 6, 1815 – June 30, 1887) was a

U.S. 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 c ...

from

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area and the seventh-least populous, with slightly fewer than 1.1 million residents as of 2020, but it ...

. Born in

Warwick, Rhode Island Warwick ( or ) is a city in Kent County, Rhode Island, the third largest city in the state with a population of 82,823 at the 2020 census. It is located approximately south of downtown Providence, Rhode Island, southwest of Boston, Massachu ...

, Brayton attended Kent Academy in East Greenwich, Rhode Island. Brayton spent two years in Brown University,

Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts ...

and then engaged in mercantile pursuits. He was a Major of the Fourth Regiment of

Rhode Island Militia The Rhode Island Army National Guard (RIARNG) is the land force militia for the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It operates under Title 10 and Title 32 of the United States Code and operates under the command of the state governor while not in feder ...

in the

Dorr Rebellion The Dorr Rebellion (1841–1842) (also referred to as Dorr's Rebellion, Dorr's War or Dorr War) was an attempt by disenfranchised residents to force broader democracy in the U.S. state of Rhode Island, where a small rural elite was in control of ...

. Later, in 1844, he was the

town clerk A clerk is a senior official of many municipal governments in the English-speaking world. In some communities, including most in the United States, the position is elected, but in many others, the clerk is appointed to their post. In the UK, a Tow ...

of Warwick and also as member of the town council. He served as member of the State house of representatives in 1841 and 1851. He served in the

State Senate A state legislature in the United States is the legislative body of any of the 50 U.S. states. The formal name varies from state to state. In 27 states, the legislature is simply called the ''Legislature'' or the ''State Legislature'', whil ...

in 1848 and 1853. Brayton was elected as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

to the Thirty-fifth and Thirty-sixth Congresses (March 4, 1857 – March 3, 1861). He served as chairman of the Committee on Expenditures on Public Buildings (Thirty-sixth Congress). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1860 to the Thirty-seventh Congress. He was appointed collector of internal revenue for the second district of Rhode Island in 1862 and served until 1871, when he resigned. He served as delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1872. For a number of years he was in charge of the money-order division of the Providence post office. He died in

on June 30, 1887. He was interred in Brayton Cemetery,

Apponaug, Rhode Island Apponaug is a neighborhood in central Warwick, Rhode Island, United States, situated on Apponaug Cove, a tributary to Greenwich Bay and nearby Narragansett Bay. The name Apponaug is a derivation of the Narragansett Indian word for "place of oys ...

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brayton, William Daniel 1815 births 1887 deaths Politicians from Warwick, Rhode Island American militia officers Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Rhode Island 19th-century American legislators Republican Party Rhode Island state senators