William Wallace Eaton was a United States Representative and United States Senator from 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...

.

Early career

Born in Tolland, Connecticut

Tolland, Connecticut

Tolland is a town in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 13,146 at the 2000 census.Tolland was named in May, 1715, and incorporated in May, 1722. According to some, the town derives its name from being a toll station on the old road between Boston and New York. ...

, he was educated in the common schools and by private instruction, and moved to Columbia, South Carolina

Columbia, South Carolina

Columbia is the state capital and largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 129,272 according to the 2010 census. Columbia is the county seat of Richland County, but a portion of the city extends into neighboring Lexington County. The city is the center of a metropolitan...

 to engage in mercantile pursuits. He returned to Tolland, and studied law, being 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 1837 and commencing practice. Eaton was clerk of courts of Tolland County in 1846 and 1847, and a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives

Connecticut House of Representatives

The Connecticut House of Representatives is the lower house in the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The house is composed of 151 members representing an equal number of districts, with each constituency containing nearly 22,600 residents...

 1847-1848, 1853, 1863, 1868, 1870-1871 and 1873-1874. He served as speaker in 1853 and 1873, and was a member of the Connecticut Senate

Connecticut Senate

The Connecticut State Senate is the upper house of the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The state senate comprises 36 members, each representing a district with around 94,600 inhabitants. Senators are elected to two-year terms without term limits...

 in 1859. In 1851, he moved to Hartford

Hartford, Connecticut

Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...

, and was clerk of courts of Hartford County

Hartford County, Connecticut

Hartford County is a county located in the north central part of the US state of Connecticut. The 2010 Census records show that the county population is at 894,014 making it the second most populated county in Connecticut....

 in 1851 and 1854, as well as city attorney in 1857 and 1858. Eaton was an unsuccessful Democratic

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...

 candidate for the U.S. Senate in 1860, and was chief judge of the city court of Hartford in 1863 and 1864, and from 1867 to 1872.

Congressional career and later life

He was appointed as a Democrat to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the death of William A. Buckingham and served from February 5, 1875, to March 3, 1875; he was also elected for the full term beginning March 4, 1875, and served until March 3, 1881. While in the Senate, he was chairman of the Committee on Foreign Relations (Forty-sixth Congress).

Eaton was also elected as a Democratic Representative to the Forty-eighth Congress (March 4, 1883 - March 3, 1885), and was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1884. He resumed the practice of law, and died in Hartford; interment was in Spring Grove Cemetery.