George Willard (March 20, 1824 – March 26, 1901) was a

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

and newspaperman 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 ...

. He served two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives and was also instrumental in opening the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

to women.

Biography

Willard was born in

Bolton, Vermont Bolton is a town in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,301 at the time of the 2020 census. The town is home to Bolton Valley, a popular ski resort. The main road passing through the town is U.S. Route 2, which follo ...

, where he attended school and received instruction from his father. He moved with his parents to Battle Creek, Michigan in 1836 and graduated from

Kalamazoo College Kalamazoo College, also known as Kalamazoo, K College, KC or simply K, is a private liberal arts college in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Founded in 1833 by Baptist ministers as the Michigan and Huron Institute, Kalamazoo is the oldest private college in ...

in 1844. He taught school, studied

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

, and was ordained a minister of the Episcopal Church in 1848. He served as rector of churches in Coldwater,

Battle Creek Battle Creek is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan, in northwest Calhoun County, at the confluence of the Kalamazoo and Battle Creek rivers. It is the principal city of the Battle Creek, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), which en ...

, and

Kalamazoo Kalamazoo ( ) is a city in the southwest region of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Kalamazoo County. At the 2010 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 74,262. Kalamazoo is the major city of the Kalamazoo-Portage Metropoli ...

until 1863. He was a professor of

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

in Kalamazoo College in 1863 and 1864 and engaged in newspaper work in Battle Creek. He served as member of the

Michigan State Board of Education The Michigan Department of Education (MDE) is a state agency of Michigan, in the United States. The MDE oversees public school districts in the state. The department is governed by the State Board of Education. The State Board of Education was fi ...

from 1857 to 1863 and member of the

Board of Regents In the United States, a board often governs institutions of higher education, including private universities, state universities, and community colleges. In each US state, such boards may govern either the state university system, individual c ...

of the

from 1863-1872. While a regent, he was a strong proponent of the admission of women to the University of Michigan. He introduced an unsuccessful motion to that effect in 1869, but was successful on January 5, 1870, when the Board passed his resolution stating that "the board of regents recognize the right of every resident of Michigan to the enjoyment of the privileges afforded by the university, and that no rule exists in any of the university statutes for the exclusion of any person from the university who possesses the requisite literary and moral qualifications." Willard was a member of the

Michigan State House of Representatives The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower house of the Michigan Legislature. There are 110 members, each of whom is elected from constituencies having approximately 77,000 to 91,000 residents, based on population figures from the 2010 U ...

in 1866 and 1867. He was a member of the State constitutional convention in 1867 and a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1872. He 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 3rd congressional district Michigan's 3rd congressional district is a U.S. congressional district in West Michigan. From 2003 to 2013, it consisted of the counties of Barry and Ionia, as well as all except the northwestern portion of Kent, including the city of Grand Ra ...

to the 43rd and

44th United States Congress The 44th 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, 1875, ...

es, serving from March 4, 1873 to March 3, 1877. He was not a candidate for re-nomination in 1876. George Willard resumed newspaper work in Battle Creek, serving as editor and owner of the '' Battle Creek Journal'' until his death. He was interred in Oak Hill Cemetery.

Ancestry

George Willard was a 4th great-grandson (7th generation descendant) of the Massachusetts colonist

Simon Willard Simon Willard (April 3, 1753 – August 30, 1848) was a celebrated American clockmaker. Simon Willard clocks were produced in Massachusetts in the towns of Grafton and Roxbury, near Boston. Among his many innovations and timekeeping improvement ...

(1605–1676).

Notes

References

External links

The Political Graveyard
{{DEFAULTSORT:Willard, George 1824 births 1901 deaths People from Chittenden County, Vermont American people of English descent Episcopalians from Vermont American Episcopal clergy Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Michigan Republican Party members of the Michigan House of Representatives People from Battle Creek, Michigan 19th-century American educators 19th-century American newspaper editors 20th-century American newspaper editors 19th-century American politicians Kalamazoo College alumni Kalamazoo College faculty Regents of the University of Michigan Burials in Michigan