William Elisha Haynes was a U.S. Representative

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

 from Ohio

Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

, cousin of George William Palmer

George William Palmer (New York)

George William Palmer was a United States Representative from New York. Born in Hoosick, he attended the common schools, the Schodack Academy and Yale College. He studied law, was admitted to the bar about 1840 and commenced practice in Plattsburgh...

.

Biography

Born in Hoosick Falls, New York

Hoosick Falls, New York

Hoosick Falls is a village in Rensselaer County, New York, United States. The population was 3,182 at the 2010 census, a decline of 254 since 2000. During its peak around 1900, the village had a population of about 7,000...

, Haynes moved to Ohio with his parents, who settled in Lower Sandusky (now Fremont) in 1839.
He attended the common schools.
Apprenticed as a printer.
He served as clerk on a steamer on Lake Superior in 1848 and 1849.
He engaged in mercantile pursuits at Fremont 1850-1856.
Auditor of Sandusky County, Ohio

Sandusky County, Ohio

Sandusky County is a county in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2010 census, the population was 60,944. Its county seat is Fremont and it is named for a native word meaning "water" ....

 from 1856 to 1860.
Enlisted 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...

 as a private April 16, 1861, in the Eighth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry

8th Ohio Infantry

The 8th Ohio Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It served in the Eastern Theater in a number of campaigns and battles, but perhaps is most noted for its actions in helping repulse Pickett's Charge during the Battle of...

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Commissioned captain and served in western Virginia, the Shenandoah Valley, and in the Army of the Potomac

Army of the Potomac

The Army of the Potomac was the major Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War.-History:The Army of the Potomac was created in 1861, but was then only the size of a corps . Its nucleus was called the Army of Northeastern Virginia, under Brig. Gen...

 until November 1862, when he was commissioned lieutenant colonel of the Tenth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Cavalry, and served with it in the Army of the Cumberland until 1864, when he was honorably discharged.
He served as collector of internal revenue for the ninth district of Ohio in 1866 and 1867.
He again engaged in mercantile pursuits 1866-1873.
He engaged in banking 1873-1914.
He served as delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1880 and 1884.

Haynes was elected as a Democrat

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 to the Fifty-first

51st United States Congress

The Fifty-first United States Congress, referred to by some critics as the Billion Dollar Congress, was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C...

 and Fifty-second

52nd United States Congress

The Fifty-second United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C...

 Congresses (March 4, 1889-March 3, 1893).
He declined to be a candidate for renomination in 1892.
He resumed banking in Fremont, Ohio

Fremont, Ohio

Fremont Public Schools enroll 4,450 students in public primary and secondary schools. The district administers 9 public schools including seven elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school, Fremont Ross. In addition, the city is home to one private catholic high school, Saint Joseph...

, in which he continued until his death there on December 5, 1914.
He was interred in Oakwood Cemetery.