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William Paul Dillingham (December 12, 1843July 12, 1923) was an American attorney and politician from the state of
Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...
. A Republican and the son of Congressman and Governor Paul Dillingham, William P. Dillingham served as governor from 1888 to 1890 and
United States Senator The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...
from 1900 until his death. Dillingham was born in Waterbury, Vermont, in 1843, and attended schools in Vermont and
New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...
. He studied law with his brother in law,
Matthew Hale Carpenter Matthew Hale Carpenter (born Decatur Merritt Hammond Carpenter; December 22, 1824 – February 24, 1881) was an American attorney and U.S. Senator representing the state of Wisconsin. He served in the Senate from 1869 to 1875 and again from 1879 ...
, attained admission to the bar, and practiced in Waterbury and Montpelier. Groomed for a political career from an early age, Dillingham served as Secretary of Civil and Military Affairs (chief assistant to the governor) during his father's term and that of Asahel Peck,
State'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 ...
of Washington County, and member of the
Vermont House of Representatives The Vermont House of Representatives is the lower house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The House comprises 150 members, with each member representing around 4,100 citizens. Representatives ar ...
and
Vermont State Senate The Vermont Senate is the upper house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The senate consists of 30 members. Senate districting divides the 30 members into three single-member districts, six two-m ...
. He was elected governor in 1888 and served one two-year term. In 1900, Dillingham won election to the United States Senate, replacing
Jonathan Ross Jonathan Stephen Ross (born 17 November 1960) is an English broadcaster, film critic, comedian, actor, writer, and producer. He presented the BBC One chat show ''Friday Night with Jonathan Ross'' during the 2000s, hosted his own radio show on ...
, who had been appointed as a temporary replacement following the death of incumbent
Justin Smith Morrill Justin Smith Morrill (April 14, 1810December 28, 1898) was an American politician and entrepreneur who represented Vermont in the United States House of Representatives (1855–1867) and United States Senate (1867–1898). He is most widely remem ...
. Dillingham served in the Senate until his death, and was chairman of several committees during his tenure. As head of a commission that studied immigration, he argued that southern and eastern European immigrants posed a threat to the country's stability and growth, and that immigration from those areas should be curbed in the future. Dillingham died in Montpelier in 1923 and was buried at Hope Cemetery in Waterbury.


Early life

The son of
Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
Paul Dillingham, William P. Dillingham was born on December 12, 1843 in Waterbury, Vermont. He attended the public schools,
Newbury Seminary Vermont College of Fine Arts (VCFA) is a private graduate-level art school in Montpelier, Vermont. It offers Master's degrees in low-residency and residential programs. Its faculty includes Pulitzer Prize finalists, National Book Award winners, ...
in
Montpelier, Vermont Montpelier () is the capital city of the U.S. state of Vermont and the seat of Washington County. The site of Vermont's state government, it is the least populous state capital in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population w ...
and
Kimball Union Academy Kimball Union Academy is a private boarding school located in New Hampshire. Founded in 1813, it is the 22nd oldest boarding school in the United States. The academy's mission is to "create a deep sense of belonging for every member of our commu ...
in
Meriden, New Hampshire Meriden is an unincorporated community in the eastern part of the town of Plainfield in Sullivan County, New Hampshire, United States. Meriden is home to Kimball Union Academy, a private boarding school. New Hampshire Route 120 passes through the ...
. In 1866 he served as Secretary of Civil and Military Affairs (chief assistant) during his father's governorship. He also studied law with his brother in law
Matthew H. Carpenter Matthew Hale Carpenter (born Decatur Merritt Hammond Carpenter; December 22, 1824 – February 24, 1881) was an American attorney and U.S. Senator representing the state of Wisconsin. He served in the Senate from 1869 to 1875 and again from 1879 ...
and was admitted to the bar in 1867.


Public service

Dillingham practiced law in Waterbury. A Republican, he served as Washington County
State'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 ...
from 1872 to 1876. From 1874 to 1876 he was Secretary of Civil and Military Affairs (chief assistant) for Governor Asahel Peck. In 1876, Dillingham was elected to the
Vermont House of Representatives The Vermont House of Representatives is the lower house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The House comprises 150 members, with each member representing around 4,100 citizens. Representatives ar ...
. From 1878 to 1882 he served in the
Vermont State Senate The Vermont Senate is the upper house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The senate consists of 30 members. Senate districting divides the 30 members into three single-member districts, six two-m ...
. Dillingham served as Vermont's Commissioner of Taxes from 1882 to 1888, and served another term in the Vermont House in 1884. In
1888 In Germany, 1888 is known as the Year of the Three Emperors. Currently, it is the year that, when written in Roman numerals, has the most digits (13). The next year that also has 13 digits is the year 2388. The record will be surpassed as late ...
Dillingham was elected the 42nd Governor of Vermont. He served the one two-year term available under the Mountain Rule, afterwards returning to the practice of law. Dillingham practiced in Montpelier with Hiram A. Huse and Fred A. Howland. Howland was Dillingham's nephew, and had studied law with Dillingham to qualify for admission to the bar. Dillingham was elected to the
United States Senate 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 pow ...
in 1900, replacing temporary appointee
Jonathan Ross Jonathan Stephen Ross (born 17 November 1960) is an English broadcaster, film critic, comedian, actor, writer, and producer. He presented the BBC One chat show ''Friday Night with Jonathan Ross'' during the 2000s, hosted his own radio show on ...
and completing the term of
Justin Smith Morrill Justin Smith Morrill (April 14, 1810December 28, 1898) was an American politician and entrepreneur who represented Vermont in the United States House of Representatives (1855–1867) and United States Senate (1867–1898). He is most widely remem ...
, who had died in office. Dillingham was reelected in 1903, 1909, 1914 and 1920, and served until his death. His 1914 election was Vermont's first following passage of the
Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution The Seventeenth Amendment (Amendment XVII) to the United States Constitution established the direct election of United States senators in each state. The amendment supersedes Article I, Section 3, Clauses 1 and2 of the Constitution, under wh ...
. During his Senate career Dillingham was Chairman of the following committees: Transportation Routes to the Seaboard ( Fifty-seventh Congress); Immigration ( Fifty-eighth through Sixty-first Congresses); Privileges and Elections ( Sixty-second, Sixty-sixth, and Sixty-seventh Congresses); and Establishing the University of the United States ( Sixty-third through Sixty-fifth Congresses). Dillingham achieved prominence as the leading
Progressive Progressive may refer to: Politics * Progressivism, a political philosophy in support of social reform ** Progressivism in the United States, the political philosophy in the American context * Progressive realism, an American foreign policy par ...
-era legislative spokesperson for restricting immigration. From 1907 to 1911, Dillingham chaired (concurrently with his Senate duties) the United States Immigration Commission, also called the Dillingham Commission, which concluded that immigration from southern and eastern Europe posed a serious threat to American society and culture and should be greatly reduced in the future. In 1903, Dillingham chaired a Senate subcommittee that investigated conditions in
Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...
following the Klondike Gold Rush. During their trip, a new courthouse established near the Nushagak River village of
Kanakanak Kanakanak is a neighborhood within the city of Dillingham in the Dillingham Census Area in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is located at , about 10 km (6 mi) southwest of downtown Dillingham. Kanakanak is the location of an Indian Health ...
was named in honor of the chairman and the surrounding community later adopted the name
Dillingham, Alaska Dillingham ( esu, Curyung; russian: Диллингхем ), also known as Curyung, is a city in Dillingham Census Area, Alaska, United States. Incorporated in 1963, it is an important commercial fishing port on Nushagak Bay. As of the 2020 ce ...
. While the subcommittee traveled extensively throughout Alaska, Dillingham never set foot in the
Bristol Bay Bristol Bay ( esu, Iilgayaq, russian: Залив Бристольский) is the easternmost arm of the Bering Sea, at 57° to 59° North 157° to 162° West in Southwest Alaska. Bristol Bay is 400 km (250 mi) long and 290 km, ( ...
salmon fishing community that still bears his name.


Business and civic endeavors

Dillingham's business interests included serving as President of the Waterbury Savings Bank and a member of the
National Life Insurance Company National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...
board of directors. He was active in the
Methodist church Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related Christian denomination, denominations of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John W ...
, and served as President of the Board of Trustees of the Montpelier Seminary (originally the Vermont Methodist Seminary), and a member of the
University of Vermont The University of Vermont (UVM), officially the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont. It was founded in 1791 and is amon ...
Board of Trustees. Dillingham was a member of the Sons of the American Revolution, and served as President of the Vermont SAR organization.


Death and burial

Dillingham died in Montpelier on July 12, 1923. He was buried in Waterbury's Hope Cemetery.


Awards and honors

Dillingham received the following
honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...
s:
Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...
,
University of Vermont The University of Vermont (UVM), officially the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont. It was founded in 1791 and is amon ...
(1886); LL.D.,
Norwich University Norwich University – The Military College of Vermont is a private senior military college in Northfield, Vermont. It is the oldest private and senior military college in the United States and offers bachelor's and master's degrees on-campus ...
(1893); LL.D.,
Middlebury College Middlebury College is a private liberal arts college in Middlebury, Vermont. Founded in 1800 by Congregationalists, Middlebury was the first operating college or university in Vermont. The college currently enrolls 2,858 undergraduates from all ...
(1906).


Family

Dillingham lived at 7 West Street in Montpelier while serving in the Senate. His home was owned by Vermont College for more than 50 years, and served as a dormitory and as office space. Known as Dillingham Hall when it was part of the college, the building is once again a private residence. On December 24, 1874, William P. Dillingham married Mary Ellen Shipman (November 7, 1846—April 25, 1893). They had one son, Paul Shipman Dillingham (October 24, 1878—March, 1972).U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2013, entry for Paul S. Dillingham, retrieved December 15, 2013


See also

*
List of United States Congress members who died in office (1900–49) There are several lists of United States Congress members who died in office. These include: * List of United States Congress members who died in office (1790–1899) *List of United States Congress members who died in office (1900–1949) *List o ...


References


External links

*
Dillingham Commission page
including a digitized version of the complete set of Dilligham Commission reports. From the ''Immigration to the United States from 1789 to 1930'' collection, Harvard University Library Open Collections Program {{DEFAULTSORT:Dillingham, William P. 1843 births 1923 deaths People from Montpelier, Vermont Republican Party governors of Vermont Republican Party members of the Vermont House of Representatives American prosecutors Republican Party United States senators from Vermont Republican Party Vermont state senators Vermont lawyers State's attorneys in Vermont Burials in Vermont 19th-century American lawyers