William Bingham
Encyclopedia
William Bingham was an American
statesman from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
. He was a delegate for Pennsylvania
to the Continental Congress
from 1786 to 1788 and served in the United States Senate
from 1795 to 1801. He helped to found the Bank of North America
, the first bank of the new nation, in 1781.
) in 1768. He married Anne Willing
, daughter of Thomas Willing
, president of the First Bank of the United States
, and they had two daughters. In 1798 his daughter Anne Louisa married English financier Alexander Baring
, later 1st Baron Ashburton. His elder daughter, Maria Matilda married firstly a French aristocrat, Alexandre, comte de Tilly, and then married Alexander Baring's brother Henry
. His son, also named William, married one of the three beautiful heiresses of his friend Michel-Eustache-Gaspard-Alain Chartier de Lotbiniere
.
By the beginning of the American Revolution
, Bingham was regarded as one of the richest men in Pennsylvania, having made his fortune through joint ownership of privateer
s and trading. He was sent on diplomatic missions by the American Congress to Martinique
. Returning to America, he represented Pennsylvania as a delegate to the Continental Congress from 1786 to 1788. In 1790 and 1791 he was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
, serving as its speaker in 1791. About this time he became a major land developer, purchasing lands in upstate New York
and 2 million acres (8,000 km²) in Maine
,later known as the Bingham Purchase
.
Bingham served in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
from 1790 through 1792. He was elected the chamber's first Speaker
in 1791. He later served in the Pennsylvania State Senate
from 1793 through 1794. He was named to the United States Senate
where he served as a Federalist from 1795 to 1801. He was an active supporter of John Adams
and when Adams was elected President, Bingham served as the Senate's President pro tem
in the Fourth Congress. He was criticized by Jeffersonian politicians for "extravagance, ostentation and dissipation". In 1813, nearly ten years after his death, John Quincy Adams
said that the Presidency, the Capital and the Country had been governed by Bingham and his family connections.
He was also a land surveyor, and looked to develop areas currently a part of Southern New York
, and Northern Pennsylvania. One of his prime prospects was at the confluence of the Chenango River
and Susquehanna River
. Today that area is a city named in his honor, Binghamton
, New York. Furthermore, Binghamton's resident university Binghamton University
recognized Bingham through the naming of Bingham Hall.
Bingham died on February 7, 1804 in Bath, England
and is interred in Bath Abbey
. His estate was not settled until 1960.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
statesman from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
. He was a delegate for Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
to the Continental Congress
Continental Congress
The Continental Congress was a convention of delegates called together from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the United States during the American Revolution....
from 1786 to 1788 and served in the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
from 1795 to 1801. He helped to found the Bank of North America
Bank of North America
The Bank of North America was a private business chartered on December 31, 1781 by the Congress of the Confederation and opened on January 7, 1782, at the prodding of Superintendent of Finance Robert Morris. This was thus the nation's first de facto central bank. It was succeeded in its role as...
, the first bank of the new nation, in 1781.
Early life and family
William Bingham was born on March 8, 1752 in Philadelphia. He graduated from the College of Philadelphia (now the University of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
) in 1768. He married Anne Willing
Ann Willing Bingham
Ann Willing Bingham was an American socialite from Philadelphia, regarded as one of the most beautiful women of her day...
, daughter of Thomas Willing
Thomas Willing
Thomas Willing was an American merchant and financier and a Delegate to the Continental Congress from Pennsylvania....
, president of the First Bank of the United States
First Bank of the United States
The First Bank of the United States is a National Historic Landmark located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania within Independence National Historical Park.-Banking History:...
, and they had two daughters. In 1798 his daughter Anne Louisa married English financier Alexander Baring
Alexander Baring, 1st Baron Ashburton
Alexander Baring, 1st Baron Ashburton PC was a British politician and financier.-Background:Baring was the second son of Sir Francis Baring, 1st Baronet, and of Harriet, daughter of William Herring...
, later 1st Baron Ashburton. His elder daughter, Maria Matilda married firstly a French aristocrat, Alexandre, comte de Tilly, and then married Alexander Baring's brother Henry
Henry Baring
Henry Baring , of Cromer Hall, Norfolk, was a British banker and politician. He was the third son of Sir Francis Baring, 1st Baronet, the founder of the family banking firm that grew into Barings Bank His grandfather John Baring emigrated from Germany and established the family in...
. His son, also named William, married one of the three beautiful heiresses of his friend Michel-Eustache-Gaspard-Alain Chartier de Lotbiniere
Michel-Eustache-Gaspard-Alain Chartier de Lotbinière
Colonel The Hon. Michel-Eustache-Gaspard-Alain Chartier de Lotbinière , de jure 2nd Marquis de Lotbinière...
.
By the beginning of the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
, Bingham was regarded as one of the richest men in Pennsylvania, having made his fortune through joint ownership of privateer
Privateer
A privateer is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend public money or commit naval officers...
s and trading. He was sent on diplomatic missions by the American Congress to Martinique
Martinique
Martinique is an island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, with a land area of . Like Guadeloupe, it is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. To the northwest lies Dominica, to the south St Lucia, and to the southeast Barbados...
. Returning to America, he represented Pennsylvania as a delegate to the Continental Congress from 1786 to 1788. In 1790 and 1791 he was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two year terms from single member districts....
, serving as its speaker in 1791. About this time he became a major land developer, purchasing lands in upstate New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and 2 million acres (8,000 km²) in Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
,later known as the Bingham Purchase
Bingham Purchase
The Bingham Purchase refers to several tracts of land in the U.S. state of Maine, formerly owned by William Bingham.These lands were granted to early colonizers in the 1630s, and became part of the larger Waldo Patent, named after Samuel Waldo, who acquired the land grants in 1720...
.
Politics
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two year terms from single member districts....
from 1790 through 1792. He was elected the chamber's first Speaker
Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
The speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives holds the oldest state-wide elected office in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Since its first session under the Frame of Government in 1682, presided over by William Penn, over 130 House members have been elevated to the speaker's chair...
in 1791. He later served in the Pennsylvania State Senate
Pennsylvania State Senate
The Pennsylvania State Senate has been meeting since 1791. It is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania state legislature. The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered every two years such...
from 1793 through 1794. He was named to the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
where he served as a Federalist from 1795 to 1801. He was an active supporter of John Adams
John Adams
John Adams was an American lawyer, statesman, diplomat and political theorist. A leading champion of independence in 1776, he was the second President of the United States...
and when Adams was elected President, Bingham served as the Senate's President pro tem
President pro tempore of the United States Senate
The President pro tempore is the second-highest-ranking official of the United States Senate. The United States Constitution states that the Vice President of the United States is the President of the Senate and the highest-ranking official of the Senate despite not being a member of the body...
in the Fourth Congress. He was criticized by Jeffersonian politicians for "extravagance, ostentation and dissipation". In 1813, nearly ten years after his death, John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams was the sixth President of the United States . He served as an American diplomat, Senator, and Congressional representative. He was a member of the Federalist, Democratic-Republican, National Republican, and later Anti-Masonic and Whig parties. Adams was the son of former...
said that the Presidency, the Capital and the Country had been governed by Bingham and his family connections.
He was also a land surveyor, and looked to develop areas currently a part of Southern New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, and Northern Pennsylvania. One of his prime prospects was at the confluence of the Chenango River
Chenango River
The Chenango River is a tributary of the Susquehanna River in central New York in the United States. It drains a dissected plateau area in upstate New York at the northern end of the Susquehanna watershed....
and Susquehanna River
Susquehanna River
The Susquehanna River is a river located in the northeastern United States. At long, it is the longest river on the American east coast that drains into the Atlantic Ocean, and with its watershed it is the 16th largest river in the United States, and the longest river in the continental United...
. Today that area is a city named in his honor, Binghamton
Binghamton, New York
Binghamton is a city in the Southern Tier of New York in the United States. It is near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the confluence of the Susquehanna and Chenango Rivers...
, New York. Furthermore, Binghamton's resident university Binghamton University
Binghamton University
Binghamton University, also formally called State University of New York at Binghamton, , is a public research university in the State of New York. The University is one of the four university centers in the State University of New York system...
recognized Bingham through the naming of Bingham Hall.
Bingham died on February 7, 1804 in Bath, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and is interred in Bath Abbey
Bath Abbey
The Abbey Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, Bath, commonly known as Bath Abbey, is an Anglican parish church and a former Benedictine monastery in Bath, Somerset, England...
. His estate was not settled until 1960.
Further reading
- Robert C. Alberts, The Golden Voyage: The Life and Times of William Bingham, 1969, Houghton Mifflin.
External links
- Biography at Virtualology.com
- Biography and portrait at the University of Pennsylvania
- The William Bingham Correspondence , including letters from 1791 to 1803, are available for research use at the Historical Society of PennsylvaniaHistorical Society of PennsylvaniaThe Historical Society of Pennsylvania is a historical society founded in 1824 and based in Philadelphia. The Society's building, designed by Addison Hutton and listed on Philadelphia's Register of Historical Places, houses some 600,000 printed items and over 19 million manuscript and graphic items...
. - The Political Graveyard