William Wellington Corlett (April 10, 1842 – July 22, 1890) was a Delegate from the Territory of Wyoming.

Biography

Corlett was born April 10, 1842 in Concord, Ohio and attended the district schools eventually graduating from the Willoughby (Ohio) Collegiate Institute in 1861.

Civil War service

With the outbreak of the Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

, he 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...

 in 1862 and served in the 28th Ohio Infantry

28th Ohio Infantry

The 28th Ohio Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It was frequently referred to at the "2nd German Ohio Regiment".-Service:...

 and the 87th Ohio Infantry

87th Ohio Infantry

The 87th Ohio Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:The 87th Ohio Infantry was organized at Camp Chase in Columbus, Ohio and mustered in on June 10, 1862 for three months service under Colonel Henry Blackstone Banning.The regiment left...

 (a three-month regiment). He was captured with the regiment

Regiment

A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...

 at the Battle of Harpers Ferry

Battle of Harpers Ferry

The Battle of Harpers Ferry was fought September 12–15, 1862, as part of the Maryland Campaign of the American Civil War. As Gen. Robert E. Lee's Confederate army invaded Maryland, a portion of his army under Maj. Gen. Thomas J...

 on September 15, 1862.

Postbellum

He was paroled and returned to Ohio, where he taught school in Kirkland and Painesville. Corlet reentered the army with the Twenty-fifth Ohio Battery. He was later placed on detached service with the Third Iowa Battery. He returned to Ohio in 1865 and mustered out of the army.

He attended law school at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor and graduated from Union Law College, Cleveland, Ohio

Cleveland, Ohio

Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...

, in July 1866.

He was admitted to the bar

Admission to the bar in the United States

In the United States, admission to the bar is the granting of permission by a particular court system to a lawyer to practice law in that system. Each U.S. state and similar jurisdiction has its own court system and sets its own rules for bar admission , which can lead to different admission...

 the same year and became a professor in elementary law at the State University

State university

In the United States, a state college or state university is one of the public colleges or universities funded by or associated with the state government. In some cases, these institutions of higher learning are part of a state university system, while in other cases they are not. Several U.S....

 and Law College as well as lecturer at several commercial colleges in Cleveland.

He settled in Cheyenne, Wyoming

Cheyenne, Wyoming

Cheyenne is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Wyoming and the county seat of Laramie County. It is the principal city of the Cheyenne, Wyoming, Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Laramie County. The population is 59,466 at the 2010 census. Cheyenne is the...

, August 20, 1867, and engaged in the practice of law before becoming an unsuccessful Republican candidate for Delegate to the Forty-first

41st United States Congress

-House of Representatives:- Senate :* President : Schuyler Colfax* President pro tempore: Henry B. Anthony - House of Representatives :* Speaker: James G. Blaine -Members:This list is arranged by chamber, then by state...

 Congress in 1869.

He was Postmaster of Cheyenne in 1870, a as member of the Territorial senate in 1871 and prosecuting attorney of Laramie County 1872-1876.

Corlett was elected as a Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 a Delegate to the Forty-fifth

45th United States Congress

-House of Representatives:-Leadership:-Senate:*President: William A. Wheeler *President pro tempore: Thomas W. Ferry -House of Representatives:*Speaker: Samuel J. Randall -Members:This list is arranged by chamber, then by state...

 Congress (March 4, 1877-March 3, 1879) but was not a candidate for renomination in 1878.

He resumed the practice of law and in 1879 declined the appointment as chief justice of Wyoming Territory but served as member of the legislative council 1880-1882.

He died in Cheyenne, Wyoming

Cheyenne, Wyoming

Cheyenne is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Wyoming and the county seat of Laramie County. It is the principal city of the Cheyenne, Wyoming, Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Laramie County. The population is 59,466 at the 2010 census. Cheyenne is the...

, July 22, 1890 and was interred in Lakeview Cemetery.