William Hanford Upson (January 11, 1823 – April 13, 1910) was a nineteenth-century politician, lawyer and judge from

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

. From 1869 to 1873, he served two terms 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 ...

Biography

Upson was born in

Worthington, Ohio Worthington is a city in Franklin County, Ohio, United States, and is a northern suburb of Columbus. The population in the 2020 Census was 14,786. The city was founded in 1803 by the Scioto Company led by James Kilbourne, who was later elected to ...

. His parents were Dr. Daniel Upson and Polly Wright. He attended Tallmadge Academy, pursued in classical studies and graduated from Western Reserve College in 1842. He studied law at the

Painesville, Ohio Painesville is a city in and the county seat of Lake County, Ohio, United States, located along the Grand River northeast of Cleveland. Its population was 19,563 at the 2010 census. Painesville is the home of Lake Erie College, Morley Libra ...

office of Reuben Hitchcock, followed by a year at

Yale Law School Yale Law School (Yale Law or YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824 and has been ranked as the best law school in the United States by ''U ...

. He was admitted to the bar in 1845, commencing practice in

Akron, Ohio Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County, Ohio, Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 C ...

in 1846. He served as

prosecuting attorney A prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in states with either the common law adversarial system or the civil law inquisitorial system. The prosecution is the legal party responsible for presenting the case in a criminal tria ...

Summit County, Ohio Summit County is an urban county in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 540,428, making it the fourth-most populous county in Ohio. Its county seat and largest city is Akron. The county was formed on March 3, 1840, ...

from 1848 to 1850, was a member of the

Ohio Senate The Ohio Senate is the upper house of the Ohio General Assembly. The State Senate, which meets in the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, first convened in 1803. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered every two years such that half of the se ...

from 1853 to 1855 and was a delegate to the

Republican National Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the United States Republican Party. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal of the Repu ...

in 1864. Upson was elected 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

United States 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 house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

in 1868, serving from 1869 to 1873, not being a candidate for renomination in 1872. There, he served as chairman of the Committee on Private Land Claims from 1871 to 1873. Afterward, he was once again a delegate to the

in 1876, was appointed an

Associate Justice Associate justice or associate judge (or simply associate) is a judicial panel member who is not the chief justice in some jurisdictions. The title "Associate Justice" is used for members of the Supreme Court of the United States and some state ...

of the

Ohio Supreme Court The Ohio Supreme Court, Officially known as The Supreme Court of the State of Ohio is the highest court in the U.S. state of Ohio, with final authority over interpretations of Ohio law and the Ohio Constitution. The court has seven members, a ...

in 1883 and was elected judge of the circuit court of

in 1884, serving until 1894. Upson continued practicing law until his death in

on April 13, 1910. He was interred in Glendale Cemetery in Akron. Upson was married May 20, 1856 to Julia A. Ford of Akron, and four children were born to them.The Supreme Court of Ohio and The Ohio Judicial System - William Hanford Upson
/ref> Upson was a trustee of Western Reserve College,

Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio. It is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational liberal arts college in the United S ...

, and the Lake Erie Female Seminary in Painesville.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Upson, William H. 1823 births 1910 deaths Republican Party Ohio state senators Justices of the Ohio Supreme Court Ohio state court judges Ohio lawyers Case Western Reserve University alumni Politicians from Akron, Ohio People from Worthington, Ohio County district attorneys in Ohio Yale Law School alumni 19th-century American legislators Burials at Glendale Cemetery, Akron Western Reserve Academy alumni 19th-century American judges 19th-century American lawyers Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio