William Vandever

William Vandever

William Vandever (born March 31, 1817 in Baltimore , Maryland , † July 23, 1893 in Ventura , California ) was an American politician . Between 1859 and 1861 he represented the state of Iowa and from 1887 to 1891 the state of California in the US House of Representatives . He was also a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War .

Career

William Vandever attended the public schools in his home country, where he received a good education. He moved to Illinois in 1839 and to Iowa in 1851. After studying law and being admitted to the bar in 1852, he began practicing his new profession in Dubuque .

Politically, Vandever joined the Republican Party founded in 1854 . In 1858 he was elected to the US House of Representatives in Washington, DC as their candidate in the second constituency of Iowa , where he succeeded Timothy Davis on March 4, 1859 . After a re-election in 1860, he could have served two full terms in Congress by March 3, 1863 . In fact, he only performed his mandate until September 24, 1861. From that day he took part in the civil war as an officer of the Union. Since he did not formally give up his mandate in Congress, his seat remained vacant until the beginning of the next legislative period on March 4, 1863. In the spring of 1861 he took part in an unsuccessful conference in Washington to prevent the outbreak of war at the last minute.

In the course of the civil war, Vandever rose from colonel to brevet major-general. He took part in several battles. After the war he worked again as a lawyer in Dubuque. In 1873 he was named Indian inspector of the federal government by US President Ulysses S. Grant . He held this office until 1877. In 1884 he moved to San Buenaventura , California.

In his new home Vandever continued his political career. In the congressional elections of 1886 he was re-elected to the US House of Representatives for the sixth district of California. There he replaced Henry Markham on March 4, 1887 . After a re-election in 1888 he was able to represent the State of California in Congress for two terms until March 3, 1891. He was involved in the plans to establish Yosemite National Park and Sequoia National Park . In 1890 Vandever renounced another candidacy for Congress. He died on July 23, 1893 in Ventura and was buried there.

Web links

• William Vandever in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)

• William Vandever in the database of Find a Grave (English)