William Eastin English (November 3, 1850 – April 29, 1926) was an American attorney and politician, 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

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

. He was the son of vice-presidential candidate and businessman,

William Hayden English William Hayden English (August 27, 1822 – February 7, 1896) was an American politician. He served as a U.S. Representative from Indiana from 1853 to 1861 and was the Democratic Party's nominee for Vice President of the United States in ...

, and his wife Emma Mardulia Jackson.

Early life and education

Born at Englishton Park, near

Lexington, Indiana Lexington is an unincorporated community in Lexington Township, Scott County, in the U.S. state of Indiana, located about 10 miles west of the Ohio River and 28 miles north of Louisville, Kentucky. The town itself was founded before Indiana beca ...

, William was the son of businessman

, and his wife Emma Mardulia Jackson. He was given a middle name after his maternal grandmother Mahala Eastin of Kentucky, whose immigrant ancestor was said to be a French Huguenot, D'Estaing, from southwestern France. The English family moved to Indianapolis in 1865. His father became active in business and politics, and eventually owned substantial parcels of real estate. There the boy attended public and private schools. He was graduated in 1873 from the law department of the Northwestern Christian University (now Butler University) at Indianapolis.

Law practice and politics

English was admitted to the bar the same year and set up his practice in Indianapolis. He worked at law until 1882, when he ran for Congress. English was first elected to office in 1880 as a member of the State house of representatives. That year his father turned over to him management of English's Opera House, which he had just built in

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

. The younger English was interested in theater and had just married an actress, Annie Fox. English successfully contested as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

the election in 1882 of

Stanton J. Peelle Stanton Judkins Peelle (February 11, 1843 – September 4, 1928) was an American politician and judge who served as a United States representative from Indiana and both an associate judge judge and chief justice of the Court of Claims. Educati ...

to the Forty-eighth Congress; English was eventually seated, serving from May 22, 1884, to March 3, 1885. He declined to be a candidate for renomination in 1884 and resumed his former business pursuits at Indianapolis. He served as delegate to the Democratic National Conventions in 1892 and 1896, and chairman of the committee on rules and order of business in the former. He left 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 ...

in 1900 and became active in the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

. In the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...

(1896–1898), English served as captain and aide-de-camp on the staff of Gen. Joseph Wheeler. Re-entering politics, English served as delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1912. He was elected in 1916 to the Indiana State senate. He was reelected in 1920 and again in 1924, serving until his death in

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mari ...

on April 29, 1926. He was interred in

Crown Hill Cemetery Crown Hill Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery located at 700 West 38th Street in Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana. The privately owned cemetery was established in 1863 at Strawberry Hill, whose summit was renamed "The Crown", a high poi ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:English, William Eastin 1850 births 1926 deaths Burials at Crown Hill Cemetery Indiana Republicans Butler University alumni Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Indiana Military personnel from Indiana People from Scott County, Indiana