William Slocum Groesbeck (July 24, 1815 – July 7, 1897) was an American lawyer and politician who served one term as 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
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 1857 to 1859.
Early life
Groesbeck was born in
Kinderhook, New York
Kinderhook is a town in the northern part of Columbia County, New York, United States. The population was 8,330 at the 2020 census, making it the most populous municipality in Columbia County. The name of the town means "Children's Corner" in th ...
, on July 24, 1815.
He was the son of John H. Groesbeck (1790–1862) and Mary (
née
A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...
Slocum) Groesbeck (1794–1854). The Groesbeck family was originally from
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
.
William's sister, Margaret Groesbeck, was married to his wife's brother, Robert Wallace Burnet.
Groesbeck moved with his parents to
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...
, in 1816. He attended the common schools and
Augusta College in Kentucky. He was graduated from
Miami University
Miami University (informally Miami of Ohio or simply Miami) is a public research university in Oxford, Ohio. The university was founded in 1809, making it the second-oldest university in Ohio (behind Ohio University, founded in 1804) and the 10 ...
,
Oxford, Ohio
Oxford is a city in Butler County, Ohio, United States. The population was 23,035 at the 2020 census. A college town, Oxford was founded as a home for Miami University and lies in the southwestern portion of the state approximately northwest ...
, in 1835 and was responsible for founding the Miami University chapter of
Alpha Delta Phi
Alpha Delta Phi (), commonly known as Alpha Delt, ADPhi, A-Delt, or ADP, is a North American Greek-letter social college fraternity. Alpha Delta Phi was originally founded as a literary society by Samuel Eells in 1832 at Hamilton College in Cli ...
, the first fraternity chapter west of the
Allegheny Mountains
The Allegheny Mountain Range (; also spelled Alleghany or Allegany), informally the Alleghenies, is part of the vast Appalachian Mountain Range of the Eastern United States and Canada and posed a significant barrier to land travel in less devel ...
.
Career
He studied law and was a law clerk in the office of
Salmon P. Chase
Salmon Portland Chase (January 13, 1808May 7, 1873) was an American politician and jurist who served as the sixth chief justice of the United States. He also served as the 23rd governor of Ohio, represented Ohio in the United States Senate, a ...
(later the
Governor of Ohio
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 ...
and
Secretary of the Treasury
The United States secretary of the treasury is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, and is the chief financial officer of the federal government of the United States. The secretary of the treasury serves as the principal a ...
during the
Lincoln administration
The presidency of Abraham Lincoln began on March 4, 1861, when Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated as the 16th president of the United States, and ended upon his assassination and death on April 15, 1865, days into his second term. Lincoln was th ...
). He was
admitted to the bar
An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...
in 1836 and commenced practice in
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...
.
In 1851, he served as member of the State constitutional convention and, in 1852, he served as commissioner to codify the laws of Ohio. Groesbeck was elected to succeed
John Scott Harrison
John Scott Harrison (October 4, 1804 – May 25, 1878) was an American farmer and politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio. He was a son of U.S. president William Henry Harrison and First Lady Ann ...
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 ...
to the
Thirty-fifth Congress, serving one term from March 4, 1857, to March 3, 1859. He was an unsuccessful candidate against
John A. Gurley
John Addison Gurley (December 9, 1813 – August 19, 1863) was a U.S. Congressman from Ohio during the early part of the American Civil War, serving two terms from 1859 to 1863. He was appointed as the first Governor of the Arizona Territory, ...
for reelection in 1858 to the
Thirty-sixth Congress.
He served as member of the
Peace Convention of 1861
The Peace Conference of 1861 was a meeting of 131 leading American politicians in February 1861, at the Willard's Hotel in Washington, D.C., on the eve of the American Civil War. The purpose of the conference was to avoid, if possible, the seces ...
held in Washington, D.C., in an effort to devise means to prevent the impending war. From 1862 to 1864, he served in the
Ohio State 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 ...
and in 1866, he served as delegate to the Union National Convention at Philadelphia.
![Andrew Johnson consulting with his counsel (Harper's Weekly March 14, 1868)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/16/Andrew_Johnson_consulting_with_his_counsel_%28Harper%27s_Weekly_March_14%2C_1868%29.jpg)
He was one of
U.S. President
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...
Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. He assumed the presidency as he was vice president at the time of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a Dem ...
's counsel in
his impeachment trial in 1868.
In 1872, he was nominated for
president of the United States
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...
by
Liberal Republicans who were displeased with
Horace Greeley
Horace Greeley (February 3, 1811 – November 29, 1872) was an American newspaper editor and publisher who was the founder and newspaper editor, editor of the ''New-York Tribune''. Long active in politics, he served briefly as a congressm ...
, but his ticket was forgotten during the excitement of the campaign, at the end of which he received one electoral vote for vice-president.
He served as delegate to the International Monetary Conference in Paris, France, in 1878.
Personal life
Groesbeck married Elizabeth Burnet (1818–1889), daughter of Judge
Jacob Burnet
Jacob Burnet (sometimes spelled Burnett) (February 22, 1770May 10, 1853) was an American jurist and statesman from Ohio. He served as a U.S. Senator.
Early life
Burnet was born in Newark, New Jersey, the son of Dr. William Burnet. He graduated ...
.
[ Together, they were the parents of:]
* Mary Groesbeck (1838–1852), who died in childhood.
* Rebecca Burnet Groesbeck (1840–1914), who married Robert Hale Ives Goddard
Robert Hale Ives Goddard (September 21, 1837 – April 22, 1916) was a prominent banker, industrialist, U.S. Army officer, state senator and philanthropist.
Early life
He was born in Providence, Rhode Island on September 21, 1837. He was a son ...
.
* Elizabeth Burnet Groesbeck, who married Kenelm Henry Digby
Kenelm Henry Digby (c. 1797 – 1880) was an Anglo-Irish writer, whose reputation rests chiefly on his earliest publication, ''The Broad-Stone of Honour, or Rules for the Gentlemen of England'' (1822), which contains an exhaustive survey of medi ...
.
* Jacob Burnet Groesbeck (1842–1858), who died in childhood.
* William John Groesbeck (1844–1845), who died in infancy.
* Caroline Thew Groesbeck (1849–1863), who died in childhood.
* Herman John Groesbeck (1849–1925), who married Elizabeth Perry (1850–1924), daughter of Judge Aaron F. Perry
Aaron Fyfe Perry (January 1, 1815 – March 11, 1893) was an American lawyer and politician who briefly served as a United States House of Representatives, U.S. Representative from Ohio from 1871 to 1872
Biography
Born in Leicester, Vermont, Per ...
.
* Julia Groesbeck (1854–1919), who married Robert Ludlow Fowler (1849–1936) in 1876.
* Telford Groesbeck (1854–1936), who married Louise Bulkeley Cox (1854–1940).
His wife died on April 6, 1889, leaving five living children.[ Groesbeck died in ]Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...
, on July 7, 1897, and was interred in Spring Grove Cemetery
Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum () is a nonprofit rural cemetery and arboretum located at 4521 Spring Grove Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio. It is the third largest cemetery in the United States, after the Calverton National Cemetery and Abraham L ...
.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Groesbeck, William Slocum
1815 births
1897 deaths
People from Kinderhook, New York
Burials at Spring Grove Cemetery
Miami University alumni
Ohio Constitutional Convention (1850)
Ohio lawyers
Ohio state senators
Politicians from Cincinnati
Members of the defense counsel for the impeachment trial of Andrew Johnson
American people of Dutch descent
Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio
19th-century American politicians
Ohio Liberal Republicans