William Barron Calhoun (December 29, 1796 – November 8, 1865) was 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 Massachusetts.

Early life

Calhoun, the eldest child of Andrew Calhoun and Martha (Chamberlain) Calhoun, was born on December 29, 1796, in Boston, Massachusetts. Calhoun graduated from Yale College in 1814. After his graduation from Yale, Calhoun studied law, first in

Concord, New Hampshire Concord () is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Hampshire and the seat of Merrimack County. As of the 2020 census the population was 43,976, making it the third largest city in New Hampshire behind Manchester and Nashua. The village of ...

, and later in

Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States, and the seat of Hampden County. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ...

. Calhoun was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Springfield. Calhoun served as member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives 1825-1834, serving as speaker 1828-1834.

Election to Congress

Calhoun was elected as an Anti-Jacksonian to the Twenty-fourth Congress and as a Whig to the three succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1835 – March 3, 1843). Calhoun served as chairman of the Committee on Private Land Claims ( Twenty-sixth Congress). Calhoun was not a candidate for renomination in 1842.

Post Congressional career

In 1844 Calhoun was a Presidential Elector for

Henry Clay Henry Clay Sr. (April 12, 1777June 29, 1852) was an American attorney and statesman who represented Kentucky in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. He was the seventh House speaker as well as the ninth secretary of state, al ...

. Calhoun served as member of the Massachusetts Senate in 1846 and 1847, serving as its president. He served as

Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts The Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth is the Secretary of State (U.S. state government), principal public information officer of the Government of Massachusetts, government of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. The Secretary of the Commo ...

1848-1851 and State bank commissioner from 1853 to 1855. He served as mayor of

in 1859. He was again a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1861.

Death and interment

Calhoun died in

, November 8, 1865, he was interred in Springfield Cemetery.

References

External links

*
''Yale Obituary Record''

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Calhoun, William B. 1796 births 1865 deaths Mayors of Springfield, Massachusetts Massachusetts state senators Members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives Presidents of the Massachusetts Senate Speakers of the Massachusetts House of Representatives Secretaries of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Politicians from Boston Massachusetts lawyers Yale College alumni Massachusetts National Republicans National Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives Whig Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American lawyers