William Soden Hastings
Encyclopedia
William Soden Hastings was a United States Representative from Massachusetts
.
, his father was Seth Hastings
, also a U.S. Representative. On his father's side of the family, he was a descendant of Thomas Hastings (colonist)
who came from the East Anglia
region of England to the Massachusetts Bay Colony
in 1634. The younger Hastings completed preparatory studies and graduated from Harvard University
in 1817; he studied law, was admitted to the bar
in 1820 and commenced practice in Mendon.
Hastings became a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
in 1828, and served in the Massachusetts State Senate from 1829 to 1833.
He was elected as a Whig
to the Twenty-fifth
, Twenty-sixth
, and Twenty-seventh
Congresses, serving from March 4, 1837, until his death in 1842. He died in Red Sulphur Springs, Virginia
(now West Virginia) and was buried in Old Cemetery, Mendon.
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
.
Life and career
Born in Mendon, MassachusettsMendon, Massachusetts
Mendon is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 5,839 at the 2010 census.Mendon is very historic and is now part of the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor, the oldest industrialized region in the United States.- Early history :The Nipmuc people...
, his father was Seth Hastings
Seth Hastings
Seth Hastings was a United States Representative from Massachusetts. Born in Cambridge to Seth & Hannah Hastings, he was a descendant of Thomas Hastings who came from the East Anglia region of England to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1634...
, also a U.S. Representative. On his father's side of the family, he was a descendant of Thomas Hastings (colonist)
Thomas Hastings (colonist)
Thomas Hastings was a prominent English immigrant to New England, one of the approximately 20,000 immigrants who came as part of the Great Migration. A Deacon of the church, among his many public offices he served on the Committee of Colony Assessments in 1640 and as Deputy for Watertown to the...
who came from the East Anglia
East Anglia
East Anglia is a traditional name for a region of eastern England, named after an ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom, the Kingdom of the East Angles. The Angles took their name from their homeland Angeln, in northern Germany. East Anglia initially consisted of Norfolk and Suffolk, but upon the marriage of...
region of England to the Massachusetts Bay Colony
Massachusetts Bay Colony
The Massachusetts Bay Colony was an English settlement on the east coast of North America in the 17th century, in New England, situated around the present-day cities of Salem and Boston. The territory administered by the colony included much of present-day central New England, including portions...
in 1634. The younger Hastings completed preparatory studies and graduated from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1817; he studied law, 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 1820 and commenced practice in Mendon.
Hastings became a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
Massachusetts House of Representatives
The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from single-member electoral districts across the Commonwealth. Representatives serve two-year terms...
in 1828, and served in the Massachusetts State Senate from 1829 to 1833.
He was elected as a Whig
Whig Party (United States)
The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his Democratic...
to the Twenty-fifth
25th United States Congress
-House of Representatives:-Leadership:- Senate :* President: Richard Mentor Johnson * President pro tempore: William R. King - House of Representatives :* Speaker: James K. Polk -Members:This list is arranged by chamber, then by state...
, Twenty-sixth
26th United States Congress
-House of Representatives:- Leadership :- Senate :*President: Richard M. Johnson *President pro tempore: William R. King - House of Representatives :*Speaker: Robert M.T. Hunter -Members:This list is arranged by chamber, then by state...
, and Twenty-seventh
27th United States Congress
The Twenty-seventh 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. from March 4, 1841 to March 3, 1843, during the one-month...
Congresses, serving from March 4, 1837, until his death in 1842. He died in Red Sulphur Springs, Virginia
Red Sulphur Springs, West Virginia
Red Sulphur Springs is a small unincorporated community in Monroe County, West Virginia, USA. It once boasted the Red Sulphur Springs Hotel. It is located on West Virginia Route 12, close to Indian Creek.-History:...
(now West Virginia) and was buried in Old Cemetery, Mendon.