William L. Greenly (September 18, 1813November 29, 1883) was a politician from the U.S. state of

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

, serving as the sixth governor of Michigan.

Early life in New York

Greenly was born in

Hamilton, New York Hamilton is a town in Madison County, New York, United States. The population was 6,690 at the 2010 census. The town is named after American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton. The Town of Hamilton contains a village also named Hamilton, the s ...

. He graduated from

Union College Union College is a private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, and second in the state of New York, after Columbia Co ...

Schenectady, New York Schenectady () is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-largest city by population. The city is in eastern New Y ...

in 1831, then studied law with Stower & Gridley in Hamilton and was admitted to the bar at

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York C ...

in 1834.

Politics in Michigan

He moved to Adrian, Michigan in October 1836. He served as a member of the

Michigan State Senate The Michigan Senate is the upper house of the Michigan Legislature. Along with the Michigan House of Representatives, it composes the state legislature, which has powers, roles and duties defined by Article IV of the Michigan Constitution, adopt ...

from the 2nd district from 1839 to 1840, and from the 3rd district from 1842 to 1843. Greenly served as the fifth lieutenant governor of Michigan from 1846 to 1847 and became governor on March 4, 1847, after the resignation of

Alpheus Felch Alpheus Felch (September 28, 1804June 13, 1896) was the fifth governor of Michigan and U.S. Senator from Michigan. Early life Felch was born in Limerick (in modern-day Maine, then a part of Massachusetts). He was left an orphan at the age of th ...

to take a seat in the

U.S. 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 ...

. He completed Felch's term through January 3, 1848. Greenly served through much of the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...

, where troops from Michigan were sent such as Company K, 3d Dragoons, as well as A, E, and G of the U. S. Infantry.

Retirement and death

After his brief time as governor, he served as justice of the peace for twelve years, and was elected mayor of Adrian, Michigan, in 1858, serving only one year. He died on November 29, 1883, in Adrian at the age of seventy. He is interred at Oakwood Cemetery in Adrian.

Family life

Governor Greenly was married three times. He married Sarah A. Dascomb in Hamilton, New York in December 1834. Following her death, he married Elizabeth W. Hubbard in Northampton, Massachusetts, on June 11, 1840. He and Elizabeth had one son, Marshal. Following Elizabeth's death, he married Maria Hart in Adrian, Michigan, on October 25, 1859

References

External links