William Henry Sowden (June 6, 1840 – March 3, 1907) was a

Democratic 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 ...

member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.

Biography

William H. Sowden was born in Liskeard, Cornwall. He emigrated to the United States in 1846 with his father, who settled in Philadelphia, and later went to live with friends in Allentown, Pennsylvania. He attended the public schools and

Allentown Academy Allentown may refer to several places in the United States and topics related to them: *Allentown, California, now called Toadtown, California *Allentown, Georgia, a town in Wilkinson County *Allentown, Illinois, an unincorporated community in Taze ...

. During the American Civil War, he served as a corporal in Company D, One Hundred and Twenty-eighth Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, and served from August 13, 1862, to May 19, 1863. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1864, and after graduation from

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

in 1865 commenced practice in Allentown. He served as solicitor of

Lehigh County Lehigh may refer to: Places United States *Lehigh, Iowa *Lehigh, Kansas *Lehigh, Oklahoma *Lehigh, Barbour County, West Virginia *Lehigh, Wisconsin * Lehigh Acres, Florida * Lehigh Township (disambiguation) * Lehigh Valley, a region in eastern Pe ...

, Pennsylvania, in 1868 and district attorney in 1872 through 1874. He was an unsuccessful candidate for

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

in 1874 and an unsuccessful candidate for election to Congress in 1876. He was a delegate to the

1884 Democratic National Convention The 1884 Democratic National Convention was held July 8–11, 1884 and chose Governor Grover Cleveland of New York their presidential nominee with the former Governor Thomas A. Hendricks of Indiana as the vice presidential nominee.World Book Bac ...

, and served as city solicitor of Allentown in 1886. Sowden was elected as a Democrat to the Forty-ninth and Fiftieth Congresses. He was not a candidate for reelection in 1888. He resumed the practice of law, and served as city solicitor of Allentown from 1900 to 1902. He was a delegate to the

1900 Democratic National Convention The 1900 Democratic National Convention was a United States presidential nominating convention that took place the week of July 4, 1900, at Convention Hall in Kansas City, Missouri. The convention nominated William Jennings Bryan for president an ...

. He was an unsuccessful Republican candidate to the Fifty-ninth Congress in 1904. He was elected as

solicitor A solicitor is a legal practitioner who traditionally deals with most of the legal matters in some jurisdictions. A person must have legally-defined qualifications, which vary from one jurisdiction to another, to be described as a solicitor and ...

of Lehigh County in 1906, and died in Allentown in 1907. Interment in Union Cemetery. In May 1888, his daughter married James L. Pugh, Jr, the son of U.S. senator from Alabama,

James L. Pugh James Lawrence Pugh (December 12, 1820March 9, 1907) was a U.S. senator from Alabama, as well as a member of the Confederate Congress during the American Civil War. Biography Pugh was born in Burke County, Georgia, and moved to Alabama in 18 ...

. Mrs James L. Pugh, Jr. was born in Allentown and studied at the Allentown Female College in 1884 and afterward attended the Luthervillw Female Seminary, near Baltimore.

References

Retrieved on 2008-02-14
The Political Graveyard
;Specific

External links

* 1840 births 1907 deaths Pennsylvania lawyers Union Army soldiers Politicians from Allentown, Pennsylvania English emigrants to the United States People from Liskeard Harvard Law School alumni Pennsylvania Republicans Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania 19th-century American politicians {{Pennsylvania-Representative-stub