Charles C. Ellsworth
Encyclopedia
Charles Clinton Ellsworth (January 29, 1824 - June 25, 1899) was a politician from the U.S. state
of Michigan
.
. His mother Bathama Ellsworth died when he was two years old. His father, William C. Ellsworth, was a native of Connecticut
and moved to Vermont at an early age. He was a locally eminent physician and was several times elected to the Vermont General Assembly
.
Charles Ellsworth attended the common school
s in West Berkshire, as well as the academy at Bakersfield
. He taught school in Vermont
for one winter and then moved to Howell, Michigan
to study law with his brother-in-law Josiah Turner, who was then a practicing attorney and would later become a county and circuit judge and sit on the Michigan Supreme Court
.
Ellsworth taught school in Howell during the winter and studied law until he was admitted to the bar
in 1848. He commenced practice in Howell and, in 1849, was appointed by Michigan Governor John S. Barry
as prosecuting attorney of Livingston County
. He moved to Montcalm County
and settled in Greenville
in the spring of 1851 and became the first practicing lawyer in the area. He was elected to the Michigan House of Representatives in 1852 and served until a single two-year term. He was twice elected prosecuting attorney of Montcalm County, serving form 1853 to 1857. He had been a Democrat until the Kansas-Nebraska Act
in 1854 and the resulting violence
sparked the formation of the Republican Party
in 1856.
In the spring of 1863, during the Civil War
, Ellsworth was appointed by U.S. President Abraham Lincoln
to be Paymaster of Volunteers in the Union Army
, in which position he served until the end of the war with the rank of major. He was not attached to any regiment, but was assigned to the Army of the Cumberland
.
After the war, Ellsworth returned to the practice of law in Greenville, where he became as the first president when the village incorporated in 1867.
In 1876, Ellsworth was elected as a Republican from Michigan's 8th congressional district
to the 49th Congress
, serving from March 4, 1877, March 3, 1879. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1878 and resumed the practice of law in Greenville.
Ellsworth was influential in bringing the Detroit, Lansing and Lake Michigan Railroad through Greenville. He joined the Society of Odd Fellows
at Howell in 1849, and after moving to Greenville, he became a member of the Masonic Fraternity
. He was active in the temperance movement
, having belonged to several organizations, such as the Rechabites
, Sons of Temperance
, and Good Templars
. He was educated as a Universalist, but during a religious revival
in Howell, he joined the Methodist Church, which at the time was the only religious organization in Greenville. He later became a Congregationalist.
He was married in 1850 to Elizabeth Gay, the daughter of Edward F. and Clarissa Gay of Howell. Ellsworth died in Greenville and was interred there in Forest Home Cemetery.
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
.
Biography
Ellsworth was born in the village of West Berkshire in Berkshire, VermontBerkshire, Vermont
Berkshire is a town in Franklin County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,388 at the 2000 census. It contains the unincorporated village of East Berkshire.-Geography:...
. His mother Bathama Ellsworth died when he was two years old. His father, William C. Ellsworth, was a native of Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
and moved to Vermont at an early age. He was a locally eminent physician and was several times elected to the Vermont General Assembly
Vermont General Assembly
The Vermont General Assembly is the legislative body of the U.S. state of Vermont. The Legislature is formally known as the "General Assembly," but the style of "Legislature" is commonly used, including by the body itself...
.
Charles Ellsworth attended the common school
Common school
A common school was a public school in the United States or Canada in the nineteenth century. The term 'common school' was coined by Horace Mann, and refers to the fact that they were meant to serve individuals of all social classes and religions....
s in West Berkshire, as well as the academy at Bakersfield
Bakersfield, Vermont
Bakersfield is a town in Franklin County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,215 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 44.6 square miles , of which, 44.6 square miles of it is land and 0.04 square miles of...
. He taught school in Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
for one winter and then moved to Howell, Michigan
Howell, Michigan
Howell is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 9,489. It is the county seat of Livingston County and is located mostly within Howell Township, but is politically independent from Howell Township...
to study law with his brother-in-law Josiah Turner, who was then a practicing attorney and would later become a county and circuit judge and sit on the Michigan Supreme Court
Michigan Supreme Court
The Michigan Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is known as Michigan's "court of last resort" and consists of seven justices who are elected to eight-year terms. Candidates are nominated by political parties and are elected on a nonpartisan ballot...
.
Ellsworth taught school in Howell during the winter and studied law until he was admitted to the bar
Bar (law)
Bar in a legal context has three possible meanings: the division of a courtroom between its working and public areas; the process of qualifying to practice law; and the legal profession.-Courtroom division:...
in 1848. He commenced practice in Howell and, in 1849, was appointed by Michigan Governor John S. Barry
John S. Barry
For the American businessman John S. Barry, see John Barry .John Stewart Barry was the fourth and eighth Governor of the U.S. state of Michigan. He was Michigan's only three-term governor in the 19th century...
as prosecuting attorney of Livingston County
Livingston County, Michigan
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 156,951 people, 55,384 households, and 43,531 families residing in the county. The population density was 276 people per square mile . There were 58,919 housing units at an average density of 104 per square mile...
. He moved to Montcalm County
Montcalm County, Michigan
-Michigan State Highways:* M-46* M-57* M-66* M-82* M-91-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 61,266 people, 22,079 households, and 16,183 families residing in the county. The population density was 86 people per square mile . There were 25,900 housing units at an average density...
and settled in Greenville
Greenville, Michigan
Greenville is a city in Montcalm County of the U.S. state of Michigan. Portions of the county are associated with the Western region while others are more closely associated with the Central Michigan region. The population was 8,481 at the 2010 census...
in the spring of 1851 and became the first practicing lawyer in the area. He was elected to the Michigan House of Representatives in 1852 and served until a single two-year term. He was twice elected prosecuting attorney of Montcalm County, serving form 1853 to 1857. He had been a Democrat until the Kansas-Nebraska Act
Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas–Nebraska Act of 1854 created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska, opening new lands for settlement, and had the effect of repealing the Missouri Compromise of 1820 by allowing settlers in those territories to determine through Popular Sovereignty if they would allow slavery within...
in 1854 and the resulting violence
Bleeding Kansas
Bleeding Kansas, Bloody Kansas or the Border War, was a series of violent events, involving anti-slavery Free-Staters and pro-slavery "Border Ruffian" elements, that took place in the Kansas Territory and the western frontier towns of the U.S. state of Missouri roughly between 1854 and 1858...
sparked the formation of the Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
in 1856.
In the spring of 1863, during the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, Ellsworth was appointed by U.S. President Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
to be Paymaster of Volunteers in the Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
, in which position he served until the end of the war with the rank of major. He was not attached to any regiment, but was assigned to the Army of the Cumberland
Army of the Cumberland
The Army of the Cumberland was one of the principal Union armies in the Western Theater during the American Civil War. It was originally known as the Army of the Ohio.-History:...
.
After the war, Ellsworth returned to the practice of law in Greenville, where he became as the first president when the village incorporated in 1867.
In 1876, Ellsworth was elected as a Republican from Michigan's 8th congressional district
Michigan's 8th congressional district
Michigan's 8th congressional district is a United States congressional district in Southern Michigan and Southeast Michigan. It consists of all of Clinton, Ingham, and Livingston counties, and includes the southern portion of Shiawassee and the northern portion of Oakland counties.The district was...
to the 49th Congress
45th United States Congress
-House of Representatives:-Leadership:-Senate:*President: William A. Wheeler *President pro tempore: Thomas W. Ferry -House of Representatives:*Speaker: Samuel J. Randall -Members:This list is arranged by chamber, then by state...
, serving from March 4, 1877, March 3, 1879. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1878 and resumed the practice of law in Greenville.
Ellsworth was influential in bringing the Detroit, Lansing and Lake Michigan Railroad through Greenville. He joined the Society of Odd Fellows
Independent Order of Odd Fellows
The Independent Order of Odd Fellows , also known as the Three Link Fraternity, is an altruistic and benevolent fraternal organization derived from the similar British Oddfellows service organizations which came into being during the 18th century, at a time when altruistic and charitable acts were...
at Howell in 1849, and after moving to Greenville, he became a member of the Masonic Fraternity
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
. He was active in the temperance movement
Temperance movement
A temperance movement is a social movement urging reduced use of alcoholic beverages. Temperance movements may criticize excessive alcohol use, promote complete abstinence , or pressure the government to enact anti-alcohol legislation or complete prohibition of alcohol.-Temperance movement by...
, having belonged to several organizations, such as the Rechabites
Independent Order of Rechabites
The Independent Order of Rechabites was a Friendly Society founded in England in 1835 as part of the temperance movement to promote total abstinence from alcoholic beverages. Always well connected in upper society and involved in financial matters, it gradually transformed into a financial...
, Sons of Temperance
Sons of Temperance
The Sons of Temperance was a brotherhood of men who promoted the temperance movement and mutual support. It began spreading rapidly during the 1840s throughout the United States and parts of Canada....
, and Good Templars
International Organisation of Good Templars
The IOGT International is an international non-governmental organisation working in the field of temperance...
. He was educated as a Universalist, but during a religious revival
Religious revival
Religious revival may refer to:* Christian Revivalism* Revival meeting* Islamic revival...
in Howell, he joined the Methodist Church, which at the time was the only religious organization in Greenville. He later became a Congregationalist.
He was married in 1850 to Elizabeth Gay, the daughter of Edward F. and Clarissa Gay of Howell. Ellsworth died in Greenville and was interred there in Forest Home Cemetery.