William S. Groesbeck

William S. Groesbeck
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio's 2nd district
In office March 4, 1857 – March 3, 1859
Preceded by	John Scott Harrison
Succeeded by	John A. Gurley
Member of the Ohio Senate from the first district
In office January 6, 1862 – January 3, 1864 Serving with Benjamin Eggleston Thomas H. Whetstone
Preceded by	Thomas W. Key George W. Holmes E. A. Ferguson
Succeeded by	Thomas H. Weasner Benjamin Eggleston Thomas H. Whetstone
Personal details
Born	William Slocum Groesbeck July 24, 1815 Kinderhook, New York
Died	July 7, 1897 (aged 81) Cincinnati, Ohio
Resting place	Spring Grove Cemetery
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Elizabeth Burnet
Children	five
Alma mater	Augusta College (Kentucky) Miami University

William Slocum Groesbeck (July 24, 1815 – July 7, 1897) was a U.S. Representative from Ohio.

Life and career

Born in Kinderhook, New York,^[1] Groesbeck moved with his parents to Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1816. His parents were John H. Groesbeck and Mary Slocum Groesbeck. The Groesbeck family was originally from Amsterdam.^[2] He attended the common schools and Augusta College (Kentucky). He was graduated from Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, in 1835 and was responsible for founding the Miami University chapter of Alpha Delta Phi, the first fraternity chapter west of the Allegheny Mountains. He studied law and was a law clerk in the office of Salmon P. Chase. He was admitted to the bar in 1836 and commenced practice in Cincinnati, Ohio. He served as member of the State constitutional convention in 1851. He served as commissioner to codify the laws of Ohio in 1852.

Groesbeck was elected as a Democrat to the Thirty-fifth Congress (March 4, 1857 – March 3, 1859). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1858 to the Thirty-sixth Congress. He served as member of the Peace Convention of 1861 held in Washington, D.C., in an effort to devise means to prevent the impending war. He served in the State senate 1862-1864. He served as delegate to the Union National Convention at Philadelphia in 1866. He was one of President Andrew Johnson's counsel in his impeachment trial in 1868. In 1872 he was nominated for president of the United States by Liberal Republicans who were displeased with Horace Greeley, but his ticket was forgotten during the excitement of the campaign, at the end of which he received one electoral vote for vice-president.^[3] He served as delegate to the International Monetary Conference in Paris, France, in 1878. He died in Cincinnati, Ohio, July 7, 1897. He was interred in Spring Grove Cemetery.

Groesbeck married Elizabeth Burnet, daughter of Judge Jacob Burnet.^[2] She died April 6, 1889, leaving five children.^[2]

References

1. "Kinderhook, New York". City-Data.com. Retrieved July 23, 2014.
2. Reed, George Irving; Randall, Emilius Oviatt; Greve, Charles Theodore, eds. (1897). Bench and Bar of Ohio: a Compendium of History and Biography 1. Chicago: Century Publishing and Engraving Company. pp. 263–267.
3.  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Gilman, D. C.; Thurston, H. T.; Colby, F. M., eds. (1905). "Groesbeck, William Slocomb". New International Encyclopedia (1st ed.). New York: Dodd, Mead.

Sources

• William S. Groesbeck at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.

External links

• William S. Groesbeck at Find a Grave
•  "Groesbeck, William Slocum". Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography. 1900.
• Media related to William S. Groesbeck at Wikimedia Commons