William Woodward Baldwin (June 23, 1862 – 1954) was a

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

lawyer who served as

Third Assistant Secretary of State Assistant Secretary of State (A/S) is a title used for many executive positions in the United States Department of State, ranking below the under secretaries. A set of six assistant secretaries reporting to the under secretary for political affairs ...

from 1896 to 1897.

Biography

William Woodward Baldwin was born on June 23, 1862, the son of Summerfield and Frances (Cugle) Baldwin. He was raised in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

and studied at Phillips Exeter Academy from 1880 to 1882. He later attended

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

, graduating with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

degree in 1886, and the

University of Maryland School of Law The University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law (formerly University of Maryland School of Law) is the law school of the University of Maryland, Baltimore and is located in Baltimore City, Maryland, U.S. Its location places Maryland L ...

, receiving an

LL.B. Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

in 1888. His wife, the former Katherine Willard, was a niece of

Frances Willard Frances Elizabeth Caroline Willard (September 28, 1839 – February 17, 1898) was an American educator, temperance reformer, and women's suffragist. Willard became the national president of Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) in 1879 an ...

. Together, they had a son, Summerfield in 1897. After law school, Baldwin moved to

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 ...

, where he began to practice law, eventually as part of the law firm of Boston & Baldwin. In 1896,

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 States ...

Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. Cleveland is the only president in American ...

selected Baldwin to be

and Baldwin held this office from February 29, 1896 until April 1, 1897. After his time in office, Baldwin resumed the practice of law, settling in

Briarcliff Manor, New York Briarcliff Manor () is a suburban village in Westchester County, New York, north of New York City. It is on of land on the east bank of the Hudson River, geographically shared by the towns of Mount Pleasant and Ossining. Briarcliff Manor in ...

. He became a trustee of the Briarcliff Congregational Church, counsel to the village, and member of the district's board of education and Mount Pleasant Field Club. Baldwin died on October 17, 1954, and is buried in the Baldwin Memorial Church in

Millersville, Maryland Millersville is an unincorporated community in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States. Population was 20,965 in 2015 based on American Community Survey (U.S. Census Bureau) data. Geography Millersville is located at (39.0596, -76.6480). Hi ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baldwin, William Woodward 1862 births 1954 deaths United States Assistant Secretaries of State Harvard College alumni People from Briarcliff Manor, New York University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law alumni

Biography

See also

References