Charles Clinton Ellsworth (January 29, 1824 – June 25, 1899) was a politician from the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

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 ...

Biography

Ellsworth was born in the village of West Berkshire in

Berkshire, Vermont Berkshire is a town in Franklin County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,547 at the 2020 census. It contains the unincorporated village of East Berkshire. Geography Berkshire is located in northeastern Franklin County. Its northern b ...

. His mother Bathama Ellsworth died when he was two years old. His father, William C. Ellsworth, was a native of

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...

and moved to Vermont at an early age. He was a locally eminent physician and was several times elected to the

Vermont General Assembly The Vermont General Assembly is the legislative body of the state of Vermont, in the United States. The Legislature is formally known as the "General Assembly," but the style of "Legislature" is commonly used, including by the body itself. The G ...

. Charles Ellsworth attended the

common school A common school was a public school in the United States during the 19th century. Horace Mann (1796–1859) was a strong advocate for public education and the common school. In 1837, the state of Massachusetts appointed Mann as the first secretary ...

s in West Berkshire, as well as the academy at Bakersfield. He taught school in

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

for one winter and then moved to

Howell, Michigan Howell is the largest city and county seat of Livingston County, Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 9,489. The city is mostly surrounded by Howell Township, but the two are administered autonomously. Howell is part o ...

to study law with his brother-in-law Josiah Turner, who was then a practicing attorney and would later become a county and circuit judge and sit on the

Michigan Supreme Court The Michigan Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is Michigan's court of last resort and consists of seven justices. The Court is located in the Michigan Hall of Justice at 925 Ottawa Street in Lansing, the sta ...

. Ellsworth taught school in Howell during the winter and studied law until he was admitted to the bar in 1848. He commenced practice in Howell and, in 1849, was appointed by

Michigan Governor The governor of Michigan, is the head of government of Michigan and serves as the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws; the power to either approve or veto appropriation bills passed b ...

John S. Barry as prosecuting attorney of Livingston County. He moved to Montcalm County and settled in Greenville in the spring of 1851 and became the first practicing lawyer in the area. He was elected to the Michigan House of Representatives in 1852 and served a single two-year term. He was twice elected prosecuting attorney of Montcalm County, serving from 1853 to 1857. He had been 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 ...

until the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854 and the resulting violence sparked the formation of the Republican Party in 1856. In the spring of 1863, during the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, Ellsworth was appointed by U.S. President

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

to be Paymaster of Volunteers in the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

, in which position he served until the end of the war with the rank of major. He was not attached to any regiment, but was assigned to the

Army of the Cumberland The Army of the Cumberland was one of the principal Union armies in the Western Theater during the American Civil War. It was originally known as the Army of the Ohio. History The origin of the Army of the Cumberland dates back to the creation ...

. After the war, Ellsworth returned to the practice of law in Greenville, where he became the first president when the village incorporated in 1867. In 1876, Ellsworth was elected as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

from

Michigan's 8th congressional district Michigan's 8th congressional district is a United States congressional district in Southern Michigan and Southeast Michigan, including almost all of the state capital, Lansing. From 2003 to 2013, it consisted of all of Clinton, Ingham, and ...

to the 49th Congress, serving from March 4, 1877 to March 3, 1879. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1878 and resumed the practice of law in Greenville. Ellsworth was influential in bringing the Detroit, Lansing and Lake Michigan Railroad through Greenville. He joined the Society of Odd Fellows at Howell in 1849, and after moving to Greenville, he became a member of the Masonic Fraternity. He was active in the

temperance movement The temperance movement is a social movement promoting temperance or complete abstinence from consumption of alcoholic beverages. Participants in the movement typically criticize alcohol intoxication or promote teetotalism, and its leaders emph ...

, having belonged to several organizations, such as the

Rechabites The Rechabites () are a biblical clan, the descendants of Rechab through Jehonadab. Biblical sources The Rechabites belonged to the Kenites, who accompanied the Israelites into the Holy Land and dwelt among them. The main body of the Kenites d ...

Sons of Temperance The Sons of Temperance was and is a brotherhood of men who promoted the temperance movement and mutual support. The group was founded in 1842 in New York City. It began spreading rapidly during the 1840s throughout the United States and parts o ...

, and

Good Templars The International Organisation of Good Templars (IOGT; founded as the Independent Order of Good Templars), whose international body is known as Movendi International, is a fraternal organization which is part of the temperance movement, promotin ...

. He was educated as a Universalist, but during a

religious revival Religious revival may refer to: * Christian revival ** Revival meeting * Islamic revival See also * Revival (disambiguation) Revival most often refers to: *Resuscitation of a person *Language revival of an extinct language * Revival (sports te ...

in Howell, he joined the Methodist Church, which at the time was the only religious organization in Greenville. He later became a Congregationalist. He was married in 1850 to Elizabeth Gay, the daughter of Edward F. and Clarissa Gay of Howell. Ellsworth died in Greenville and was interred there in Forest Home Cemetery.

References

Retrieved on 2008-02-14
The Political Graveyard
* *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ellsworth, Charles Clinton 1824 births 1899 deaths Union Army officers Members of the Michigan House of Representatives People from Berkshire, Vermont People from Howell, Michigan People from Greenville, Michigan Michigan Democrats Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Michigan 19th-century American politicians Military personnel from Michigan Sons of Temperance