William Wilkins (December 20, 1779 – June 23, 1865) was an American judge and politician from
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
who served as a
Jacksonian member of 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 ...
from 1831 to 1834 and as a
Democratic member of the
United States House of Representatives
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 ...
for
Pennsylvania's 21st congressional district
Pennsylvania's twenty-first congressional district was a congressional district in northwestern Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Nor ...
from 1843 to 1844. He served as a member of both houses of the
Pennsylvania General Assembly, a
United States district judge
The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district, which each cover one U.S. state or, in some cases, a portion of a state. Each district cou ...
of the
,
United States Minister to Russia and the 19th
United States Secretary of War
The secretary of war was a member of the U.S. president's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War", had been appointed to serve the Congress of the ...
.
Early life and education
Wilkins was born on December 20, 1779, in
Carlisle, Pennsylvania, to Captain John Wilkins, a captain in the American Revolution, and Catherine Rowan.
Wilkins attended the Pittsburgh Academy, the forerunner of the
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the univers ...
. He
read law in 1801 and graduated from
Dickinson College in 1802.
He was admitted to the bar and entered private practice in
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...
, Pennsylvania from 1801 to 1806.
He was "second" in a duel in 1806 which resulted in the death of a Mr. Bates. It was the last recorded duel in Pennsylvania before the Pennsylvania General Assembly outlawed the practice.
[ Bates was very popular and Wilkins left Pennsylvania due to the duel to live with his brother Charles Wilkins in Lexington, Kentucky.
He continued private practice in Lexington, ]Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...
from 1806 to 1807. He resumed private practice in Pittsburgh from 1808 to 1815. He assisted in organizing the Pittsburgh Manufacturing Company in 1810. He was the first President of the Bank of Pittsburgh. He was President of the Pittsburgh City Council
The Pittsburgh City Council serves as the legislative body in the City of Pittsburgh. It consists of nine members. City council members are chosen by plurality elections in each of nine districts. The city operates under a mayor-council syst ...
from 1816 to 1819. He was a Federalist member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 1819 to 1820.[ He was President Judge of the ]Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas
In Pennsylvania, the courts of common pleas are the trial courts of the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania (the state court system).
The courts of common pleas are the trial courts of general jurisdiction in the state. The name derives fro ...
for the Fifth Judicial District from 1820 to 1824.
In the 1820s, Wilkins and George M. Dallas were leaders in the Family Party faction of the Democratic Party. The faction was named Family Party since Wilkins, Dallas and several other key leaders were all related by marriage. The Family Party had political strength and were able to place the defeated governor William Findlay as a U.S. Senator in 1821.
Federal judicial service
Wilkins was nominated by President James Monroe
James Monroe ( ; April 28, 1758July 4, 1831) was an American statesman, lawyer, diplomat, and Founding Father who served as the fifth president of the United States from 1817 to 1825. A member of the Democratic-Republican Party, Monroe was ...
on May 10, 1824, to a seat on the vacated by Judge Jonathan Hoge Walker. He was confirmed by 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 ...
on May 12, 1824, and received his commission the same day. His service terminated on April 14, 1831, due to his resignation.
Congressional races during his judicial tenure
Wilkins was an unsuccessful candidate for election in 1826 to the 20th United States Congress
The 20th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1827, ...
. He was elected as a Jacksonian Democrat to the 21st United States Congress, but resigned before qualifying, never taking his seat.
United States Senate and diplomatic service
Wilkins was elected as a Jacksonian Democrat 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 ...
from Pennsylvania and served from March 4, 1831, to June 30, 1834, when he resigned. He was Chairman of the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary
The United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, informally the Senate Judiciary Committee, is a standing committee of 22 U.S. senators whose role is to oversee the Department of Justice (DOJ), consider executive and judicial nominations ...
from the 22nd United States Congress
The 22nd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 18 ...
and Chairman of the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
The United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations is a standing committee of the U.S. Senate charged with leading foreign-policy legislation and debate in the Senate. It is generally responsible for overseeing and funding foreign aid ...
for the 23rd United States Congress
The 23rd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1833 ...
. Following his departure from Congress, Wilkins served as United States Minister to Russia for the United States Department of State
The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government responsible for the country's fore ...
from 1834 to 1836. He resumed private practice in Pittsburgh from 1836 to 1843. He was an unsuccessful candidate for election to the 27th United States Congress in 1840.
United States House service
Wilkins was elected as a Democrat from Pennsylvania's 21st congressional district
Pennsylvania's twenty-first congressional district was a congressional district in northwestern Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Nor ...
to the United States House of Representatives
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 ...
of the 28th United States Congress and served from December 4, 1843, to February 14, 1844, when he resigned. He was Chairman of the United States House Committee on the Judiciary
The U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary, also called the House Judiciary Committee, is a Standing committee (United States Congress), standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is charged with overseeing the administra ...
for the 28th United States Congress.
Later career
Wilkins was appointed as the 19th United States Secretary of War
The secretary of war was a member of the U.S. president's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War", had been appointed to serve the Congress of the ...
by President John Tyler
John Tyler (March 29, 1790 – January 18, 1862) was the tenth president of the United States, serving from 1841 to 1845, after briefly holding office as the tenth vice president in 1841. He was elected vice president on the 1840 Whig tick ...
, serving from 1844 to 1845. Wilkins was aboard the USS Princeton when one of its guns exploded in 1843 near Mount Vernon
Mount Vernon is an American landmark and former plantation of Founding Father, commander of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War, and the first president of the United States George Washington and his wife, Martha. The estate is on ...
. The explosion killed two members of John Tyler's cabinet. Wilkins had expressed disapproval of the firing and had moved away from the gun moments before the explosion.
He resumed private practice in Pittsburgh starting in 1845. He was a member of the Pennsylvania State Senate for the 22nd district from 1857 to 1858. He again resumed private practice in Pittsburgh from 1858 to 1865. He was a major general of the Pennsylvania Home Guards in 1862.
Death
Wilkins died on June 23, 1865, in Homewood, now a neighborhood in Pittsburgh, and was interred in Homewood Cemetery
Homewood Cemetery is a historic urban cemetery in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located in Point Breeze and is bordered by Frick Park, the neighborhood of Squirrel Hill, and the smaller Smithfield Cemetery.
It was established ...
.
Family
Wilkins married Catherine Holmes however she died in 1816 and he was remarried to Mathilda Dallas.[ Wilkins' brother John Wilkins Jr. served as a ]major general
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...
in the United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...
. His sister, Nancy, married Ebenezer Denny
Ebenezer Denny (March 11, 1761July 21, 1822) was a soldier during the American Revolutionary War whose journal is one of the most frequently quoted accounts of the surrender of the British at the siege of Yorktown. Denny later served as the first M ...
, the first mayor of Pittsburgh. His nephew, Harmar Denny, was a U.S. Congressman from Pennsylvania.[ His nephew, ]Ross Wilkins
Ross Wilkins (February 19, 1799 – May 17, 1872) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Michigan and the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.
Education and care ...
, was a notable jurist in 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 ...
.
Legacy
Wilkins is the namesake of Wilkins Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.
References
Sources
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilkins, William
1779 births
1865 deaths
People from Carlisle, Pennsylvania
American people of Welsh descent
United States Secretaries of War
Tyler administration cabinet members
Jacksonian United States senators from Pennsylvania
Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania
Democratic Party United States senators from Pennsylvania
1832 United States vice-presidential candidates
Democratic Party members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Democratic Party Pennsylvania state senators
Pittsburgh City Council members
Ambassadors of the United States to Russia
19th-century American diplomats
Judges of the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania
United States federal judges appointed by James Monroe
United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law
Judges of the Pennsylvania Courts of Common Pleas
19th-century American judges
American bankers
Pennsylvania lawyers
Dickinson College alumni
University of Pittsburgh alumni
Burials at Homewood Cemetery