Willis Hall (April 1, 1801July 14, 1868) was an American lawyer and politician from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

Life

Hall was born on April 1, 1801, in Granville,

Washington County, New York Washington County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 61,302. The county seat is Fort Edward. The county was named for U.S. President George Washington. Washington County is part of the Glen ...

, the son of Rev. Nathaniel Hall (1764–1820) and Hannah Emerson Hall (1773–1832). He graduated from

Yale College Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...

in 1824, studied law in New York City and

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. He was admitted to the bar in 1827, and practiced in

Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population within the city limits was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 195,111 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 cens ...

from 1827 to 1831, and then in New York City. He married Helen Haudley. He was a Whig member of the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Assem ...

from

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in 1838, and from Albany County in 1843. He was

New York State Attorney General The attorney general of New York is the chief legal officer of the U.S. state of New York and head of the Department of Law of the state government. The office has been in existence in some form since 1626, under the Dutch colonial government of ...

from 1839 to 1842, elected by the

New York State Legislature The New York State Legislature consists of the two houses that act as the state legislature of the U.S. state of New York: The New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly. The Constitution of New York does not designate an official ...

after the Whigs obtained the majority at the 1838 elections. In 1847, he was elected Corporation Counsel of New York City. In 1848, he opposed the nomination of General

Zachary Taylor Zachary Taylor (November 24, 1784 – July 9, 1850) was an American military leader who served as the 12th president of the United States from 1849 until his death in 1850. Taylor was a career officer in the United States Army, rising to th ...

as the Whig candidate for the presidency and supported

Henry Clay Henry Clay Sr. (April 12, 1777June 29, 1852) was an American attorney and statesman who represented Kentucky in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. He was the seventh House speaker as well as the ninth secretary of state, al ...

, and retired from professional and political life after Clay's defeat. He resigned as Corporation Counsel in May 1849, and Henry E. Davies was appointed to fill the vacancy. He died on July 14, 1868, in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

Sources

Google Books
''A Centurial history of the Mendon Association of Congregational Ministers'' by Rev. Mortimer Blake (short bio on page 245, Boston, 1853) {{DEFAULTSORT:Hall, Willis 1801 births 1868 deaths New York (state) Whigs 19th-century American politicians New York State Attorneys General Members of the New York State Assembly People from Granville, New York Yale College alumni