William Evans Arthur (March 3, 1825 – May 18, 1897) 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

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 family

William E. Arthur was born in

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

on March 3, 1825."Arthur, William Evans". ''Biographical Directory of the United States Congress'' He was the son of William and Eliza (Parsons) Arthur.''Biographical Cyclopedia'', p. 24 In 1832, the family moved to

Covington, Kentucky Covington is a list of cities in Kentucky, home rule-class city in Kenton County, Kentucky, Kenton County, Kentucky, United States, located at the confluence of the Ohio River, Ohio and Licking River (Kentucky), Licking Rivers. Cincinnati, Ohio, ...

. Two years later, Arthur's father died. Arthur received his early education in private schools and from private tutors in Covington and

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 ...

. He then studied law under

John W. Stevenson John White Stevenson (May 4, 1812August 10, 1886) was the List of Governors of Kentucky, 25th governor of Kentucky and represented the state in both houses of the United States Congress, U.S. Congress. The son of former Speaker of the United St ...

and James Turner Morehead. He 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 ...

in 1850 and commenced practice in Covington. In 1855, Arthur married Addie Southgate, daughter of former Congressman

William Wright Southgate William Wright Southgate (November 27, 1800 in Newport, Kentucky – December 26, 1849 in Covington, Kentucky) was a Kentucky State and United States politician. He was the son of Richard Southgate and Ann Winston Hinde. He married Adaliza Keene ...

. His first wife died in 1858, and in December 1860, Arthur married her younger sister Etha Southgate. The couple had two children – a son named Sidney and a daughter named May.

Political career

In 1856, Arthur was elected

Commonwealth's Attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a loc ...

for the ninth judicial district for a term of six years. He served as

presidential elector The United States Electoral College is the group of presidential electors required by the Constitution to form every four years for the sole purpose of appointing the president and vice president. Each state and the District of Columbia appo ...

on the Democratic ticket of

John C. Breckinridge John Cabell Breckinridge (January 16, 1821 – May 17, 1875) was an American lawyer, politician, and soldier. He represented Kentucky in both houses of Congress and became the 14th and youngest-ever vice president of the United States. Serving ...

and

Joseph Lane Joseph "Joe" Lane (December 14, 1801 – April 19, 1881) was an American politician and soldier. He was a state legislator representing Evansville, Indiana, and then served in the Mexican–American War, becoming a general. President James K. P ...

in the 1860 presidential election. In 1866, Arthur was elected criminal judge of the ninth circuit served until 1868, when he resigned. He was elected to represent the Sixth District in the

U.S. 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. During the Forty-second and Forty-third Congresses (March 4, 1871 – March 3, 1875), he served on the House Committees on

Elections An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operate ...

and Railways and Canals. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1874.

Later life and death

After the expiration of his congressional term, he resumed the practice of law in Covington. In August 1886, he was elected judge of the twelfth judicial circuit of Kentucky and served until the expiration of his term on January 1, 1893. He resumed his law practice until his death in Covington on May 18, 1897. He was interred in

Linden Grove Cemetery Linden Grove Cemetery is located along Holman Street, between 13th and 15th streets in Covington, Kentucky, United States. It is the second public cemetery in Covington, the city's first public burial ground being Craig Street Cemetery, which da ...

Early life and family

Political career

Later life and death

References

Bibliography

Further reading