William Lewis Dewart (June 21, 1821 – April 19, 1888) was a Democratic member of the

U.S. 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 ...

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, ...

Biography

William L. Dewart (son of Lewis Dewart) was born in

Sunbury, Pennsylvania Sunbury is a city and county seat of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located in Central Pennsylvania's Susquehanna Valley on the east bank of the Susquehanna River, just downstream of the confluence of its main and west ...

. He attended the common schools of Sunbury and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He was graduated from Dickinson Preparatory School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and from

Princeton College Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ni ...

in 1839. He studied law, was admitted to the

Northumberland County, Pennsylvania Northumberland County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 91,647. Its county seat is Sunbury. The county was formed in 1772 from parts of Lancas ...

, bar in 1843, and commenced practice in Sunbury. He served as chief burgess of Sunbury in 1845 and 1846, and as president of the school board. He was a delegate to the Democratic National Conventions in

1852 Events January–March * January 14 – President Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte proclaims a new constitution for the French Second Republic. * January 15 – Nine men representing various Jewish charitable organizations come tog ...

1856 Events January–March * January 8 – Borax deposits are discovered in large quantities by John Veatch in California. * January 23 – American paddle steamer SS ''Pacific'' leaves Liverpool (England) for a transatlantic voya ...

1860 Events January–March * January 2 – The discovery of a hypothetical planet Vulcan is announced at a meeting of the French Academy of Sciences in Paris, France. * January 10 – The Pemberton Mill in Lawrence, Massachusett ...

, and

1884 Events January–March * January 4 – The Fabian Society is founded in London. * January 5 – Gilbert and Sullivan's '' Princess Ida'' premières at the Savoy Theatre, London. * January 18 – Dr. William Price at ...

. He was an unsuccessful candidate for election in

1854 Events January–March * January 4 – The McDonald Islands are discovered by Captain William McDonald aboard the ''Samarang''. * January 6 – The fictional detective Sherlock Holmes is perhaps born. * January 9 – The ...

. Dewart was elected as a Democrat to the Thirty-fifth Congress. He served as chairman of the

United States House Committee on Revisal and Unfinished Business United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two f ...

. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in

1858 Events January–March * January – ** Benito Juárez (1806–1872) becomes Liberal President of Mexico. At the same time, conservatives install Félix María Zuloaga (1813–1898) as president. ** William I of Prussia becomes regen ...

. He resumed the practice of law in Sunbury and died there in 1888. Interment in the family vault in Sunbury Cemetery. His granddaughter

Betty Brice Rosetta Dewart Brice (August 4, 1888 – February 15, 1935), known professionally as Betty Brice, was an American actress in many silent films. Early life Rosetta Dewart Brice was born in Sunbury, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Edward Lincoln ...

(born Rosetta Dewart Brice, 1888-1935) was an actress in silent films.

Sources

The Political Graveyard
1821 births 1888 deaths Pennsylvania lawyers Politicians from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania People from Sunbury, Pennsylvania Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American lawyers {{Pennsylvania-Representative-stub