William Paine Sheffield

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William Paine Sheffield

William Paine Sheffield (born August 30, 1820 in New Shoreham , Washington County , Rhode Island , †  June 2, 1907 in Newport , Rhode Island) was an American politician who represented the state of Rhode Island in both chambers of Congress .

Professional career

William Sheffield, born on Block Island , first attended a private preparatory school in Kingston and then Harvard University , where he graduated from law in 1843. The following year he was inducted into the bar and began practicing in Newport. Sheffield took part in the constitutional convention of its state in 1841 and 1842. Between 1842 and 1845 he sat for the first time in the House of Representatives from Rhode Island ; further terms of office in this parliamentary chamber followed from 1849 to 1853 and from 1857 to 1861. In the meantime he lived in Tiverton ; later he returned to Newport.

Political career

During the Civil War , Sheffield joined the National Union Party , which served President Abraham Lincoln as a joint election platform for Republicans and Democrats loyal to the Union . As a unionist, he was elected to the United States House of Representatives, where he remained from March 4, 1861 to March 3, 1863. After that he worked as a lawyer again. In 1871 Sheffield was appointed to a commission to review the laws of Rhode Island; between 1875 and 1884 he was again a member of the House of Representatives of his state. Finally, on November 19, 1884, he was appointed US Senator to succeed the late Henry B. Anthony . Sheffield, now Republican, held this mandate until January 20, 1885, after which he returned to his office in Rhode Island.

Sheffield died in Newport in 1907. His son, who was born in 1857 and was also named William Paine Sheffield , also sat for Rhode Island in the US House of Representatives from 1909 to 1911.

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personal data
SURNAME Sheffield, William Paine
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American politician
DATE OF BIRTH August 30, 1820
PLACE OF BIRTH New Shoreham , Rhode Island
DATE OF DEATH June 2, 1907
Place of death Newport , Rhode Island