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William M. Griswold

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William M. Griswold
Member of the Wisconsin Senate
In office
January 1, 1872 – January 6, 1873
Preceded byMyron Reed
Succeeded byEvan O. Jones
Constituency27th Senate district
In office
January 4, 1869 – January 1, 1872
Preceded byRobert B. Sanderson
Succeeded byWaldo Flint
Constituency25th Senate district
Chairman of the Board of Supervisors of Columbia County, Wisconsin
In office
January 1871 – January 1872
Preceded byA. J. Turner
Succeeded byA. J. Turner
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
from the Columbia 2nd district
In office
January 4, 1858 – January 7, 1861
Preceded byOliver C. Howe
Succeeded byNathan Hazen
Personal details
Born(1823-02-07)February 7, 1823
Salisbury, Herkimer County, New York, U.S.
DiedOctober 10, 1889(1889-10-10) (aged 66)
Columbus, Wisconsin, U.S.
Cause of deathCancer
Resting placeHillside Cemetery, Columbus, Wisconsin
Political partyRepublican
SpouseMary A. Sofield (died 1935)
Children
  • infant son
  • (b. 1870; died 1870)
EducationUnion College
ProfessionLawyer

William M. Griswold (February 7, 1823 – October 10, 1889) was an American lawyer, Republican politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He served four years in the Wisconsin State Senate and three years in the State Assembly, representing Columbia County.

Early life

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Born in Salisbury, Herkimer County, New York,[1][2] Griswold graduated from Union College in 1844, and studied law with Judge Arphaxed Loomis in Little Falls, New York. He was admitted to the bar in 1850, at Schenectady, and then practiced law for three years as a junior partner to Loomis.[1][3] He moved west to Wisconsin in 1853, and settled at Columbus, in Columbia County, Wisconsin.[2]

Career

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In Columbus, he worked for several years in a mercantile trade with his older brother, George. He then devoted himself to cultivating his farm.[3]

Griswold was elected to three consecutive terms in the Wisconsin State Assembly, running on the Republican Party ticket. He represented Columbia County's 2nd Assembly district, which then comprised the southeast portion of the county.[4][5]

He was subsequently elected to two terms in the Wisconsin State Senate, in 1868 and 1870, representing all of Columbia County.[6] He declined renomination in 1872.[5][1] Additionally, he was a member of the board of supervisors of Columbia County for four terms, and was chairman of the county board in 1871.[2][3]

Personal life and death

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William M. Griswold was the last child of Amos Griswold and his first wife Martha (née Munson). William's older brother, George Griswold, was his business partner for several years. Their younger half-brother, Eugene S. Griswold, came to live and work with them in Columbus, Wisconsin, in the 1850s.[3]

William Griswold married Mary Sofied of Yates County, New York, in July 1868. They had two children, William and Mary.[3]

Griswold died of cancer at his home in Columbus at the age of 66.[1][5]

Electoral history

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Wisconsin Senate (1868, 1870)

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Wisconsin Senate, 25th District Election, 1868[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
General Election, November 3, 1868
Republican William M. Griswold 3,854 66.97%
Democratic Amplias Chamberlin 1,901 33.03%
Plurality 1,953 33.94%
Total votes 5,755 100.0%
Republican hold
Wisconsin Senate, 25th District Election, 1870[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
General Election, November 8, 1870
Republican William M. Griswold (incumbent) 2,291 63.11% −3.85%
Democratic Frederick C. Curtis 1,339 36.89%
Plurality 952 26.23% -7.71%
Total votes 3,630 100.0% -36.92%
Republican hold

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Ex-Senator Griswold Dead". The Weekly Wisconsin. Milwaukee, WI. October 19, 1899. p. 2. Retrieved June 1, 2021 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  2. ^ a b c d "Official Directory". The Legislative Manual of the State of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. 1872. p. 441. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d e Butterfield, Consul Willshire (1880). The History of Columbia County, Wisconsin. Western Historical Company. pp. 549, 967. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
  4. ^ "List of Assembly Districts, with Names of Members". A Manual of Customs, Precedents, and Forms, in use in the Assembly of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. 1861. p. 34. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c "Ex-Senator William M. Griswold". The Eau Claire News. Eau Claire, WI. October 18, 1899. p. 2. Retrieved June 2, 2021 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  6. ^ a b "Official Directory". The Legislative Manual of the State of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. 1870. p. 355. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
Wisconsin State Assembly
Preceded by
Oliver C. Howe
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the Columbia 2nd district
January 4, 1858 – January 7, 1861
Succeeded by
Nathan Hazen
Wisconsin Senate
Preceded by Member of the Wisconsin Senate from the 25th district
January 4, 1869 – January 1, 1872
Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of the Wisconsin Senate from the 27th district
January 1, 1872 – January 6, 1873
Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Chairman of the Board of Supervisors of Columbia County, Wisconsin
January 1871 – January 1872
Succeeded by
A. J. Turner