William Wilkins (U.S. politician)

For other people named William Wilkins, see William Wilkins (disambiguation).

William Wilkins


19th United States Secretary of War
In office February 15, 1844 – March 4, 1845
President	John Tyler
Preceded by	James Madison Porter
Succeeded by	William L. Marcy
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 21st district
In office March 4, 1843 – February 14, 1844
Preceded by	Thomas M.T. McKennan
Succeeded by	Cornelius Darragh
United States Senator from Pennsylvania
In office March 4, 1831 – June 30, 1834
Preceded by	William Marks
Succeeded by	James Buchanan
Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania
In office May 12, 1824 – April 14, 1831
Appointed by	James Monroe
Preceded by	Jonathan Hoge Walker
Succeeded by	Thomas Irwin
Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
In office 1819-1820
Personal details
Born	(1779-12-20)December 20, 1779 Carlisle, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	June 23, 1865(1865-06-23) (aged 85) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Alma mater	Pittsburgh Academy Dickinson College
Profession	Lawyer, Judge, Politician

William Wilkins (December 20, 1779 – June 23, 1865) was an American lawyer, jurist, and politician from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. During his career, he served in both houses of the Pennsylvania State Legislature, and in all three branches of the United States federal government, including service as a United States federal judge, as a member of both the House and Senate, and as a cabinet member.

Early life, education, and career

William Wilkins was born in Carlisle, Pennsylvania on December 20, 1779. He attended the Pittsburgh Academy, the forerunner of the University of Pittsburgh,^[1] read law in 1801 and graduated from Dickinson College in 1802. He was in private practice in Pittsburgh from 1801 to 1806, then in Lexington, Kentucky from 1806 to 1807, and again in Pittsburgh from 1808 to 1815. He was President, Pittsburgh City Council from 1816 to 1819. He was a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 1819 to 1820.

Judicial service

Wilkins became a judge of the Fifth Judicial District of Pennsylvania in 1820, serving until 1824. On May 10, 1824, Wilkins was nominated by President James Monroe to a seat on the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania vacated by Jonathan Hoge Walker. Wilkins was confirmed by the United States Senate on May 12, 1824, and received his commission the same day. He resigned on April 14, 1831, to begin his own term of service in the United States Senate.

Career in national politics

A Jacksonian, he was a United States Senator from Pennsylvania from 1831 to 1834. In the election of 1832, Wilkins received 30 electoral votes from Pennsylvania for the Vice Presidency (the other 189 votes went to the official party nominee, Martin Van Buren).

From 1834 to 1835 Wilkins was Minister to Russia.

After returning to private practice in Pittsburgh from 1836 to 1842, he was elected as a Democrat to the United States House of Representatives, serving from 1843 until resigning in 1844. He resigned to accept appointment as U.S. Secretary of War under President John Tyler.

Later life

In 1845, Willkins returned to the private practice of law in Pittsburgh. He was a member of the Pennsylvania State Senate from 1855 to 1857, and was in private practice of law in Pittsburgh until his death, in 1865. Wilkins died in 1865 in Homewood, near Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pa, and was buried in the Homewood Cemetery there. Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania is named after him. His brother John Wilkins, Jr. served as a Major General in the United States Army. His nephew, Ross Wilkins, was a notable jurist in Michigan.

Wilkins is the namesake of Wilkins Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania,^[2] while the town of Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania is named after his aforementioned brother.

References

↑ Starrett, Agnes Lynch (1937). Through one hundred and fifty years: the University of Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh Press. p. 45. Retrieved August 1, 2013.
↑ Porter, Thomas J. Jr. (May 10, 1984). "Town names carry a little bit of history". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 1. Retrieved 26 May 2015.

Sources

United States Congress. "William Wilkins (id: W000475)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.

William Wilkins at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.

External links

Legal offices
Preceded by Jonathan Hoge Walker	Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania 1824–1831	Succeeded by Thomas Irwin
United States House of Representatives
Preceded by James S. Stevenson Robert Orr, Jr.	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 16th congressional district 1829 (resigned before qualifying)	Succeeded by Harmar Denny
Preceded by Thomas M. T. McKennan	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 21st congressional district 1843–1844	Succeeded by Cornelius Darragh
United States Senate
Preceded by William Marks	U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania 1831–1834 Served alongside: Isaac D. Barnard, George M. Dallas, Samuel McKean	Succeeded by James Buchanan
Political offices
Preceded by James Madison Porter	U.S. Secretary of War Served under: John Tyler 1844–1845	Succeeded by William L. Marcy
Honorary titles
Preceded by Littleton Tazewell	Oldest living U.S. Senator May 6, 1860 – June 23, 1865	Succeeded by Henry Dodge

United States Senators from Pennsylvania

Class 1	W. Maclay Gallatin Ross S. Maclay Leib Roberts Findlay Barnard Dallas McKean Sturgeon Brodhead S. Cameron Wilmot Buckalew J. Scott Wallace Mitchell Quay Knox Oliver Knox Crow Reed Guffey Martin H. Scott Heinz Wofford Santorum Casey

Class 3	Morris Bingham Muhlenberg Logan Gregg Lacock Lowrie Marks Wilkins Buchanan S. Cameron Cooper Bigler Cowan S. Cameron J. Cameron Penrose Pepper Vare^† Grundy Davis Myers Duff Clark Schweiker Specter Toomey

Notes	^† Never officially seated.

U.S. Secretaries of War and the Army

U.S. Department
of War
(1789–1949)

Secretaries of War	B. Lincoln Knox Pickering McHenry Dexter Dearborn Eustis Armstrong Monroe W. Crawford Calhoun Barbour P. Porter Eaton Cass Poinsett Bell Spencer J. Porter Wilkins Marcy G. Crawford Conrad J. Davis Floyd Holt S. Cameron Stanton Schofield Rawlins Belknap A. Taft J. Cameron McCrary Ramsey R. Lincoln Endicott Proctor Elkins Lamont Alger Root W. Taft Wright Dickinson Stimson Garrison Baker Weeks D. Davis Good Hurley Dern Woodring Stimson Patterson Royall

Assistant Secretaries of War	Scott Watson Tucker Wolcott Dana Eckert Grant Doe Meiklejohn Sanger Oliver Breckinridge Ingraham Crowell Williams Wainwright D. Davis MacNider Hurley Payne Woodring L. Johnson Patterson McCloy Petersen

U.S. Department
of the Army
(1949–present)

Secretaries of the Army	Royall Gray Pace Stevens Brucker Stahr Vance Ailes Resor Froehlke Callaway Hoffmann C. Alexander Marsh Stone West Caldera White Harvey Geren McHugh Fanning

Under Secretaries of the Army	Draper Gray Voorhees A. Alexander Bendetsen E. Johnson Slezak Finucane Milton Ailes Ignatius Resor McGiffert Beal BeLieu Staudt Augustine LaBerge Ambrose Stone Shannon Reeder Walker Rostker Dahlberg Brownlee Geren Ford Westphal Carson Murphy

United States Ambassadors to Russia

Ambassador to the Russian Empire (1780–1917)	Dana Short Adams Bayard Pinkney Campbell Middleton Randolph Buchanan Dickerson Wilkins Clay Dallas Cambreleng Todd Ingersoll Bagby Brown Seymour Pickens Appleton Clay Cameron Clay Dawson Smythe Curtin Orr Jewell Boker Stoughton Foster Hunt Sargent Taft Lawton Lothrop Tree Rice Smith White Breckinridge Hitchcock Tower McCormick Meyer Riddle Rockhill Guild Pindell Marye Francis

Ambassador to the Soviet Union (1933–1991)	Bullitt Davies Steinhardt Standley Harriman Smith Kirk Kennan Bohlen Thompson Kohler Thompson Beam Stoessel Toon Watson Hartman Matlock Strauss

Ambassador to the Russian Federation (1992–present)	Strauss Pickering Collins Vershbow Burns Beyrle McFaul Tefft

Chairmen of the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations

Barbour Macon Brown Barbour R. King Barbour Macon Sanford Macon Tazewell Forsyth Wilkins Clay Buchanan Rives Archer Allen Sevier Hannegan Benton W. King Foote Mason Sumner Cameron Hamlin Eaton Burnside Edmunds Windom Miller Sherman Morgan Sherman Frye Davis Cullom Bacon Stone Hitchcock Lodge Borah Pittman George Connally Vandenberg Connally Wiley George Green Fulbright Sparkman Church Percy Lugar Pell Helms Biden Helms Biden Lugar Biden Kerry Menendez Corker

Chairmen of the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary

Chase Crittenden Burrill Smith Van Buren Berrien Rowan Marcy Wilkins Clayton Grundy Wall Berrien Ashley Butler Bayard Trumbull Edmunds Thurman Edmunds Hoar Pugh Hoar Platt Clark Culberson Nelson Brandegee Cummins Norris Ashurst Van Nuys McCarran Wiley McCarran Langer Kilgore Eastland Kennedy Thurmond Biden Hatch Leahy Hatch Leahy Hatch Specter Leahy Grassley

Chairmen of the United States House Committee on the Judiciary

C. Ingersoll Nelson Sergeant Nelson Webster Barbour Buchanan Davis Foster Beardsley Thomas Sergeant Barnard Wilkins Saunders Rathbun J. Ingersoll Thompson McLanahan Stanton Simmons Houston Hickman Wilson Bingham Butler Knott T. Reed Tucker Culberson Taylor Culberson Henderson Ray Jenkins Parker Clayton Webb Volstead Graham Sumners Michener Celler C. Reed Celler Rodino Brooks Hyde Sensenbrenner Conyers Smith Goodlatte

Cabinet of President John Tyler (1841–45)

Secretary of State	Daniel Webster (1841–43) Abel P. Upshur (1843–44) John C. Calhoun (1844–45)

Secretary of the Treasury	Thomas Ewing (1841) Walter Forward (1841–43) John C. Spencer (1843–44) George M. Bibb (1844–45)

Secretary of War	John Bell (1841) John C. Spencer (1841–43) James M. Porter (1843–44) William Wilkins (1844–45)

Attorney General	John J. Crittenden (1841) Hugh S. Legaré (1841–43) John Nelson (1843–45)

Postmaster General	Francis Granger (1841) Charles A. Wickliffe (1841–45)

Secretary of the Navy	George E. Badger (1841) Abel P. Upshur (1841–43) David Henshaw (1843–44) Thomas W. Gilmer (1844) John Y. Mason (1844–45)

Authority control	WorldCat Identities VIAF: 4789385 LCCN: nr91038694 US Congress: W000475

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