Washington Frederick Willcox (August 22, 1834 – March 8, 1909) was an American businessman and politician who served two terms as a

U.S. Representative 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 c ...

from

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 ...

from 1889 to 1893.

Biography

Born in

Killingworth, Connecticut Killingworth is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 6,174 at the 2020 United States Census. History Killingworth was established from the area called Hammonasset, taken from the local Native American tri ...

, Willcox prepared for college at Madison Academy and

Hopkins Grammar School Hopkins School is a private, college-preparatory, coeducational, day school for grades 7–12 located in New Haven, Connecticut. In 1660, Edward Hopkins, seven-time governor of the Connecticut Colony, bequeathed a portion of his estate to found s ...

. He graduated from

Yale Law School Yale Law School (Yale Law or YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824 and has been ranked as the best law school in the United States by '' U.S. News & Worl ...

in 1862. He was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

and commenced practice in

Deep River, Connecticut Deep River is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut. The population was 4,415 at the 2020 census. The town center is designated by the U.S. Census Bureau as a census-designated place (CDP). Deep River is part of what the locals call the "Tri-t ...

Political career

He served as member of the

Connecticut House of Representatives The Connecticut State House of Representatives is the lower house in the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The house is composed of 151 members representing an equal number of districts, with ...

in 1862 and 1863. From 1875 to 1876 he served in the

Connecticut State Senate The Connecticut State Senate is the upper house of the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The state senate comprises 36 members, each representing a district with around 99,280 inhabitants. Sen ...

. He was State's attorney of Middlesex County from 1875 to 1883.

Congress

Willcox was elected as 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 ...

to the Fifty-first and Fifty-second Congresses (March 4, 1889 – March 3, 1893). He was not a candidate for renomination in 1892.

Later career

He resumed the practice of law in Deep River, and also engaged in banking. From 1897 to 1905 he served on the state Railroad Commission.

Death and burial

He died at his home in

Chester, Connecticut Chester is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 3,749 at the 2020 census. The town center is defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as a census-designated place (CDP). The name is a transfer from Chester, in Engl ...

, March 8, 1909, and was buried at Fountain Hill Cemetery in Deep River.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Willcox, Washington Frederick 1834 births 1909 deaths Hopkins School alumni Yale Law School alumni Democratic Party Connecticut state senators Democratic Party members of the Connecticut House of Representatives Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Connecticut 19th-century American politicians