William Wellington Corlett

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William W. Corlett
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Wyoming Territory's at-large district
In office
March 4, 1877 – March 3, 1879
(Delegate)
Preceded byWilliam Randolph Steele
Succeeded byStephen Wheeler Downey
Personal details
Born(1842-04-10)April 10, 1842
Concord, Ohio
DiedJuly 22, 1890(1890-07-22) (aged 48)
Cheyenne, Wyoming
Political partyRepublican
SpouseMinerva C. Franklin (m. 1873)
Children1
EducationUniversity of Michigan
Union Law College
ProfessionAttorney
Military service
Allegiance United States Union
Branch/service United States Army
Union Army
Years of service1861–1862
1863–1865
RankCorporal
Unit28th Ohio Infantry
87th Ohio Infantry
25th Ohio Independent Light Artillery Battery
3rd Iowa Independent Battery Light Artillery
Battles/warsCivil War

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

Biography[edit]

Corlett was born in Concord, Ohio on April 10, 1842, a son of William Corlett and Mary Ann (Kneale), who was known as Ann.[1] He attended the schools of Concord and taught school while attending the Willoughby (Ohio) Collegiate Institute, from which he graduated in 1861.[2]

Civil War service[edit]

With the outbreak of the Civil War, he enlisted in the Union Army in 1862 and served in the 28th Ohio Infantry and the 87th Ohio Infantry (a three-month regiment).[2] He was captured with the regiment at the Battle of Harpers Ferry on September 15, 1862.[3]

After receiving parole, Corlett returned to Ohio, where he taught school in Kirkland and Painesville.[2] Corlett reentered the army with the 25th Ohio Independent Light Artillery Battery.[2] He was later placed on detached service with the 3rd Iowa Independent Battery Light Artillery. He returned to Ohio in 1865 and mustered out of the army.[2]

Post-war[edit]

He attended law school at the University of Michigan Law School and in July 1866 he graduated from Ohio State and Union Law College in Cleveland.[2] He was admitted to the bar the same year and became a professor in elementary law at the State University and Law College as well as lecturer at several commercial colleges in Cleveland.[2]

Career[edit]

He settled in Cheyenne, Wyoming, in 1867, and engaged in the practice of law.[2] During some of the time in Wyoming, his law partner was John Alden Riner, who later served as a federal judge.[2] Corlett was an unsuccessful Republican candidate for Delegate to the Forty-first Congress in 1869.[2]

He was appointed postmaster of Cheyenne in 1870, a member of the Territorial senate in 1871 and prosecuting attorney of Laramie County from 1872 to 1876.[2]

Corlett was elected as a Republican a Delegate to the Forty-fifth Congress (March 4, 1877 – March 3, 1879). He was not a candidate for renomination in 1878.[2]

He resumed the practice of law and in 1879 declined the appointment as chief justice of Wyoming Territory.[3] He served as member of the legislative council from 1880 to 1882.[3]

Death and burial[edit]

He died in Cheyenne, Wyoming, on July 22, 1890.[2] He was interred at Lakeview Cemetery in Cheyenne.[4]

Family[edit]

In 1873, Corlett married Minerva C. Franklin in Des Moines, Iowa.[5] They were the parents of a son, William W. Corlett Jr.[6][7]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "1850 United States Federal Census, Entry for William Corlett Family". Ancestry.com. Lehi, UT: Ancestry.com, LLC. September 12, 1850. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "He Is Dead: The Hon. Wm. W. Corlett Passes Away; Biographical". The Cheyenne Daily Leader. Cheyenne, WY. July 23, 1890. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b c Joint Committee On Printing, United States Congress (1928). Biographical Directory of the American Congress. 1774-1927. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 848 – via Google Books.
  4. ^ Spencer, Thomas E. (1998). Where They're Buried. Baltimore, MD: Clearfield Company. p. 321. ISBN 978-0-8063-4823-0 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ "Iowa Select Marriages Index, 1758-1996, Entry for William W. Corlett and Minerva C. Franklin". Ancestry.com. Lehi, UT: Ancestry.com, LLC. January 1, 1873. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
  6. ^ U.S. Civil War Pension Index (August 8, 1912). "General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934, Entry for William W. Corlett". Ancestry.com. Lehi, UT: Ancestry.com, LLC. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
  7. ^ Kelley, Nicholas (1916). Harvard College Class of 1906: Third Report. Cambridge, MA: Crimson Printing Co. p. 95 – via Google Books.

External links[edit]

U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives
from Wyoming Territory's at-large congressional district

March 4, 1877 – March 3, 1879
Succeeded by

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress