William W. Ellsworth
Encyclopedia
William Wolcott Ellsworth (November 10, 1791 – January 15, 1868) was a Yale-educated attorney who served as the 30th Governor of Connecticut, a three-term United States Congressman, a Justice on the State Supreme Court, and who twice turned down nomination to the state's United States Senate seat. Born in Windsor
on November 10, 1791, he was the son of Founding Father
Oliver Ellsworth
, and son-in-law of Noah Webster
, who named Ellsworth executor of his will. His twin brother was Henry Leavitt Ellsworth
, first Commissioner of the United States Patent Office.
Ellsworth completed preparatory studies, and graduated from Yale College
in 1810. He studied law at Tapping Reeve
's Litchfield Law School
in Litchfield
, was afterwards admitted to the bar in 1811. Ellsworth was appointed professor of law at Trinity College
in 1827, which position he held until his death. William Wolcott Ellsworth was married to Emily S. Webster, eldest daughter of Rebecca Greenleaf and Noah Webster
Jr., publisher of dictionaries. Noah Webster named Ellsworth as one of the executors of his will of 1843.
Among Ellsworth's Yale classmates was Samuel F. B. Morse
, whose idea of the telegraph would later be championed by Ellsworth's twin brother Henry Leavitt Ellsworth
during his term as the first Commissioner of the
U. S. Patent Office
.
Ellsworth's law partner starting in 1817 was his brother-in-law Chief Justice
of the Connecticut Supreme Court
Thomas Scott Williams
, who was elected to the U.S. Congress that year and sought a younger partner to manage his practice in his absence. (Judge Williams was married to Ellsworth's sister.) Aged 26, Ellsworth took up the reins of Congressman Williams' law practice, the largest in the state.
He was elected as an Anti-Jacksonian
to the Twenty-first, Twenty-second, and Twenty-third United States Congresses and served from March 4, 1829, to July 8, 1834 when he resigned. He was elected Governor of Connecticut 1838-1842. He then became judge of the Connecticut Supreme Court
from 1847 to 1861, when, by the constitutional provision relative to age, he retired. He twice declined to accept the nomination to the United States Senate
, and retired from public life. Ellsworth died in Hartford
on January 15, 1868. The former Congressman and Governor is interred at the Old North Cemetery in Hartford.
The lawyer and orator Rufus Choate
said of Ellsworth before the Massachusetts General Assembly: "If the land of Shermans, Griswolds, Daggets and Williams, rich as she is in learning and virtue, has a sounder lawyer, a more upright magistrate, or an honester man in her public service, I know not his name."
Windsor, Connecticut
Windsor is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States, and was the first English settlement in the state. It lies on the northern border of Connecticut's capital, Hartford. The population was estimated at 28,778 in 2005....
on November 10, 1791, he was the son of Founding Father
Founding Fathers of the United States
The Founding Fathers of the United States of America were political leaders and statesmen who participated in the American Revolution by signing the United States Declaration of Independence, taking part in the American Revolutionary War, establishing the United States Constitution, or by some...
Oliver Ellsworth
Oliver Ellsworth
Oliver Ellsworth was an American lawyer and politician, a revolutionary against British rule, a drafter of the United States Constitution, and the third Chief Justice of the United States. While at the Federal Convention, Ellsworth moved to strike the word National from the motion made by Edmund...
, and son-in-law of Noah Webster
Noah Webster
Noah Webster was an American educator, lexicographer, textbook pioneer, English spelling reformer, political writer, editor, and prolific author...
, who named Ellsworth executor of his will. His twin brother was Henry Leavitt Ellsworth
Henry Leavitt Ellsworth
Henry Leavitt Ellsworth was a Yale-educated attorney who became the first Commissioner of the U.S. Patent Office, where he encouraged innovation by inventors Samuel F.B. Morse and Samuel Colt...
, first Commissioner of the United States Patent Office.
Ellsworth completed preparatory studies, and graduated from Yale College
Yale College
Yale College was the official name of Yale University from 1718 to 1887. The name now refers to the undergraduate part of the university. Each undergraduate student is assigned to one of 12 residential colleges.-Residential colleges:...
in 1810. He studied law at Tapping Reeve
Tapping Reeve
Tapping Reeve was an American lawyer and law educator. In 1784, he opened the Litchfield Law School in Litchfield, Connecticut, the first school to offer a comprehensive legal curriculum in the United States....
's Litchfield Law School
Litchfield Law School
The Litchfield Law School of Litchfield, Connecticut, was the first formal school offering training for the legal profession in the United States. It was established in 1784 by Tapping Reeve, who would later became the Chief Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court...
in Litchfield
Litchfield, Connecticut
Litchfield is a town in and former county seat of Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States, and is known as an affluent summer resort. The population was 8,316 at the 2000 census. The boroughs of Bantam and Litchfield are located within the town...
, was afterwards admitted to the bar in 1811. Ellsworth was appointed professor of law at Trinity College
Trinity College (Connecticut)
Trinity College is a private, liberal arts college in Hartford, Connecticut. Founded in 1823, it is the second-oldest college in the state of Connecticut after Yale University. The college enrolls 2,300 students and has been coeducational since 1969. Trinity offers 38 majors and 26 minors, and has...
in 1827, which position he held until his death. William Wolcott Ellsworth was married to Emily S. Webster, eldest daughter of Rebecca Greenleaf and Noah Webster
Noah Webster
Noah Webster was an American educator, lexicographer, textbook pioneer, English spelling reformer, political writer, editor, and prolific author...
Jr., publisher of dictionaries. Noah Webster named Ellsworth as one of the executors of his will of 1843.
Among Ellsworth's Yale classmates was Samuel F. B. Morse
Samuel F. B. Morse
Samuel Finley Breese Morse was an American contributor to the invention of a single-wire telegraph system based on European telegraphs, co-inventor of the Morse code, and an accomplished painter.-Birth and education:...
, whose idea of the telegraph would later be championed by Ellsworth's twin brother Henry Leavitt Ellsworth
Henry Leavitt Ellsworth
Henry Leavitt Ellsworth was a Yale-educated attorney who became the first Commissioner of the U.S. Patent Office, where he encouraged innovation by inventors Samuel F.B. Morse and Samuel Colt...
during his term as the first Commissioner of the
U. S. Patent Office
United States Patent and Trademark Office
The United States Patent and Trademark Office is an agency in the United States Department of Commerce that issues patents to inventors and businesses for their inventions, and trademark registration for product and intellectual property identification.The USPTO is based in Alexandria, Virginia,...
.
Ellsworth's law partner starting in 1817 was his brother-in-law Chief Justice
Chief Justice
The Chief Justice in many countries is the name for the presiding member of a Supreme Court in Commonwealth or other countries with an Anglo-Saxon justice system based on English common law, such as the Supreme Court of Canada, the Constitutional Court of South Africa, the Court of Final Appeal of...
of the Connecticut Supreme Court
Connecticut Supreme Court
The Connecticut Supreme Court, formerly known as the Connecticut Supreme Court of Errors, is the highest court in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It consists of a Chief Justice and six Associate Justices. The seven justices sit in Hartford, across the street from the Connecticut State Capitol...
Thomas Scott Williams
Thomas Scott Williams
Thomas Scott Williams was a U.S. Representative from Connecticut.He was a descendant of immigrant Robert Williams of Roxbury, a cordwainer of Great Yarmouth and Norwich, England, who arrived in Roxbury, Massachusetts with his wife and several children about 1635.Born in Wethersfield, Connecticut,...
, who was elected to the U.S. Congress that year and sought a younger partner to manage his practice in his absence. (Judge Williams was married to Ellsworth's sister.) Aged 26, Ellsworth took up the reins of Congressman Williams' law practice, the largest in the state.
He was elected as an Anti-Jacksonian
National Republican Party (United States)
The National Republicans were a political party in the United States. During the administration of John Quincy Adams , the president's supporters were referred to as Adams Men or Anti-Jackson. When Andrew Jackson was elected President of the United States in 1828, this group went into opposition...
to the Twenty-first, Twenty-second, and Twenty-third United States Congresses and served from March 4, 1829, to July 8, 1834 when he resigned. He was elected Governor of Connecticut 1838-1842. He then became judge of the Connecticut Supreme Court
Connecticut Supreme Court
The Connecticut Supreme Court, formerly known as the Connecticut Supreme Court of Errors, is the highest court in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It consists of a Chief Justice and six Associate Justices. The seven justices sit in Hartford, across the street from the Connecticut State Capitol...
from 1847 to 1861, when, by the constitutional provision relative to age, he retired. He twice declined to accept the nomination 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...
, and retired from public life. Ellsworth died in 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...
on January 15, 1868. The former Congressman and Governor is interred at the Old North Cemetery in Hartford.
Rufus Choate
Rufus Choate , American lawyer and orator, was born in Ipswich, Massachusetts, a descendant of an English family which settled in Massachusetts in 1643. His first cousin, physician George Choate, was the father of George C. S. Choate and Joseph Hodges Choate...
said of Ellsworth before the Massachusetts General Assembly: "If the land of Shermans, Griswolds, Daggets and Williams, rich as she is in learning and virtue, has a sounder lawyer, a more upright magistrate, or an honester man in her public service, I know not his name."