William A. Griswold

William A. Griswold (September 15, 1775 – January 17, 1846) was an American lawyer and politician in the U.S. state of Vermont. He served as the 22nd and 24th Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives.

For the Wisconsin politician, see William M. Griswold.
William A. Griswold
24th Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives
In office
1815–1818
Preceded byDaniel Chipman
Succeeded byRichard Skinner
22nd Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives
In office
1819–1820
Preceded byRichard Skinner
Succeeded byDaniel Azro Ashley Buck
Personal details
Born(1775-09-15)September 15, 1775
New Marlborough, Massachusetts, United States
DiedJanuary 17, 1846(1846-01-17) (aged 70)
Burlington, Vermont, United States
NationalityAmerican
Political partyDemocratic-Republican
Whig
Alma materDartmouth College
ProfessionLawyer
Politician

Early life

Griswold was born in New Marlborough, Massachusetts on September 15, 1775.[1][2] His family moved to Bennington, Vermont when he was ten years old and he attended the common schools there. He graduated from Dartmouth College in 1794, studied law and started a law practice in Danville.[3] Among the prospective attorneys who studied law in his Danville office was Ephraim Paddock.[4]

Political career

In 1803 Griswold was named State's Attorney for Caledonia County, a position in which he served almost continuously until moving to Burlington in 1821.[5][6] A Democratic-Republican, Griswold represented Danville in the Vermont House of Representatives from 1807–1811.[7]

In 1812 Griswold was one of Vermont's presidential electors, casting his ballot for James Madison.[8] In 1813 Griswold returned to the Vermont House, serving until 1818. He served again in the State House from 1819–1820. Griswold was Speaker of the House from 1815-1818 and 1819–1820.[9]

He was named United States Attorney for Vermont in 1821, a position in which he served until 1829.[10][11] In 1828 he was elected to the Vermont Council of Censors.[12] From 1828 until his death he served as President of the Lake Champlain Transportation Company, which operated steamships on Lake Champlain.[13]

Griswold served on the Vermont Governor's Council from 1833–1834.[14] In 1836 Griswold, by now a Whig, was a presidential elector from Vermont and cast his ballot for William Henry Harrison.[15] Griswold represented Burlington in the Vermont House from 1841–1842.[16]

He died in Burlington on January 17, 1846.[17][18] He was buried at Elmwood Cemetery in Burlington.[19]

References
  1. Death notice, The Vermont Watchman & State Journal Newspaper, January 29, 1846, reprinted on Northeast Kingdom Genealogy website, accessed February 21, 2012
  2. General Catalogue of Dartmouth College, published by the college, 1900, page 128
  3. General Catalogue of Dartmouth College, published by the college, 1890, pages 7 to 8
  4. Childs, Hamilton (1887). Gazetteer of Caledonia and Essex Counties, Vt. 1764-1887. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse Journal Company. p. 84.
  5. Journals of the General Assembly of the State of Vermont, published by Sereno Wright 1810, page 40
  6. Gazetteer of Caledonia and Essex Counties, Vt. 1764-1887, by Hamilton Child, 1887, page 37
  7. Biographical sketch, William A. Griswold, by G. B. Sawyer, published in Vermont History magazine, undated, reprinted on Ancestry.com website, accessed February 21, 2012
  8. A History and Description of New England, by Austin Jacobs Coolidge and John Brainard Mansfield, 1859, page 990
  9. Early History of Vermont, by LaFayette Wilbur, Volume 3, 1902, page 382
  10. Journal of the Executive Proceedings of the Senate of the United States, published by U.S. Senate, 1821, page 246
  11. Catalogue of the Principal Officers of Vermont, by Leonard Deming, 1851, page 112
  12. Journal of the Council of Censors of the State of Vermont, published by E. P. Walton (Montpelier), 1828, page 3
  13. History of Clinton and Franklin Counties, New York, by Duane Hamilton Hurd, 1880, pages 52 to 53
  14. Records of the Governor and Council of the State of Vermont for 1833 to 1834, published by E.P. Walton (Montpelier), 1880, page 104
  15. The Vermont Historical Gazetteer, by Abby Maria Hemenway, Volume 1, 1867, pages 622 to 623
  16. Journal of the General Assembly of the State of Vermont, published by E. P. Walton (Montpelier), 1841, page 4
  17. Death notice, The Vermont Watchman & State Journal Newspaper, January 29, 1846, reprinted on Northeast Kingdom Genealogy website, accessed February 21, 2012
  18. Sketches of the Alumni of Dartmouth College, published by the college, 1867, page 74
  19. University of Vermont Students, Elmwood Cemetery: A Walking Tour of Burlington's History, 2008, page 45


Political offices
Preceded by
Daniel Chipman		 Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives
1815–1818		 Succeeded by
Richard Skinner
Preceded by
Richard Skinner		 Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives
1819–1820		 Succeeded by
D. Azro A. Buck
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