William Nathaniel Roach (September 25, 1840September 7, 1902) was a

United States senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

from

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minnesota to the east, So ...

Biography

Born in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, he attended the public schools,

Gonzaga College High School Gonzaga College High School is a private Catholic college-preparatory high school for boys in Washington, D.C. Founded by the Jesuits in 1821 as the Washington Seminary, Gonzaga is named in honor of Aloysius Gonzaga, an Italian saint from the 1 ...

and

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

. He was a clerk in the

quartermaster Quartermaster is a military term, the meaning of which depends on the country and service. In land armies, a quartermaster is generally a relatively senior soldier who supervises stores or barracks and distributes supplies and provisions. In ...

's department during the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

. He moved to

Dakota Territory The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of N ...

in 1879 and settled in Larimore; he was interested in mail contracts for several years and was a member of the Territorial House of Representatives in 1885. Roach was an unsuccessful Democratic candidate for governor at the first State election in 1889 and again in 1891. He was elected to the U.S. Senate and served from March 4, 1893, to March 4, 1899. In 1893, a subcommittee in the Senate was convened to hear evidence that Roach had embezzled money while acting as an officer of a bank. Expulsion was considered, but the subcommittee decided the matter was too long past to take such action. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection and discontinued active business pursuits and lived in retirement in Washington, D.C. He died in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

on September 7, 1902; interment was in the

Congressional Cemetery The Congressional Cemetery, officially Washington Parish Burial Ground, is a historic and active cemetery located at 1801 E Street, SE, in Washington, D.C., on the west bank of the Anacostia River. It is the only American "cemetery of national m ...

, Washington, D.C.

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Roach, William N. 1840 births 1902 deaths Burials at the Congressional Cemetery Clerks Democratic Party United States senators from North Dakota Georgetown University alumni Gonzaga College High School alumni Members of the Dakota Territorial Legislature People from Washington, D.C. People of Washington, D.C., in the American Civil War Union Army soldiers

Biography

See also

References