William Lewis Stoughton (March 20, 1827 – June 6, 1888) was a politician and soldier from

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 ...

who served in the

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, as well as serving as an officer and

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commander 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 ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

Biography

Stoughton was born in

Bangor, New York Bangor is a town in Franklin County, New York, United States. The population was 2,224 at the 2010 census. The town is named after Bangor in Wales. It is an interior town of the county, located west of Malone. History Settlement commenced ar ...

. He attended Kirtland,

Painesville Painesville is a city in and the county seat of Lake County, Ohio, United States, located along the Grand River northeast of Cleveland. Its population was 19,563 at the 2010 census. Painesville is the home of Lake Erie College, Morley Libra ...

, and Madison Academies in Lake County, Ohio. He studied law in

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

, and

from 1849 to 1851 when he was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Sturgis, Michigan. Stoughton was a prosecuting attorney of St. Joseph County from 1855 to 1859 and a delegate to the 1860 Republican National Convention. He was appointed by

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

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 ...

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for the District of Michigan in March 1861, but resigned a few months later to enter the Union Army following the outbreak of the Civil War. He served as

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

of the 11th Michigan Infantry. Stoughton commanded the 2nd Brigade, 1st Division of the XIV Corps (ACW), XIV Corps of the Army of the Cumberland at the Third Battle of Chattanooga, Battle of Chattanooga. He resigned in August 1864 because of ill health and resumed the practice of his profession in Sturgis, Michigan, in 1865. On February 28, 1867, President of the United States, President Andrew Johnson nominated Stoughton for appointment to the grade of Brevet (military), brevet Major general (United States), major general of volunteers, to rank from March 13, 1865, and the United States Senate confirmed the appointment on March 2, 1867.Eicher, John H., and David J. Eicher, ''Civil War High Commands.'' Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. . p. 715. In 1867, Stoughton became a member of the Michigan State Constitutional convention and served as Michigan Attorney General from 1867 to 1868. He was elected as a Republican (United States), Republican from Michigan's 2nd congressional district to the 41st United States Congress, 41st and 42nd United States Congress, 42nd U.S. Congress, Congresses, serving from March 4, 1869 to March 3, 1873. He returned to the practice of law in 1874. William L. Stoughton died in Sturgis and was interred in Oak Lawn Cemetery.

Notes

References

Retrieved on 2008-10-19
The Political Graveyard
* Eicher, John H., and David J. Eicher, ''Civil War High Commands.'' Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. .

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Stoughton, William Lewis 1827 births 1888 deaths People from Bangor, New York Michigan Attorneys General Union Army colonels Burials in Michigan People of Michigan in the American Civil War Michigan lawyers People from Lake County, Ohio People from Sturgis, Michigan Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Michigan 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American lawyers

Biography

See also

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References

External links