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William W. Wilshire

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William W. Wilshire
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Arkansas's 3rd district
In office
March 3, 1873 – June 16, 1874
Preceded byThomas Boles
Succeeded byThomas M. Gunter
In office
March 4, 1875 – March 3, 1877
Preceded byThomas M. Gunter
Succeeded byJordan E. Cravens
Chief Justice of the
Arkansas Supreme Court
In office
1868 – February 1871
Personal details
Born
William Wallace Wilshire

(1830-09-08)September 8, 1830
Shawneetown, Illinois, U.S.
DiedAugust 19, 1888(1888-08-19) (aged 57)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Resting placeMount Holly Cemetery,
Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S.
34°44′15.3″N 92°16′42.5″W / 34.737583°N 92.278472°W / 34.737583; -92.278472
Political partyDemocratic
Other political
affiliations
Republican (before 1874)
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service Union Army
Years of service1862–1864
Rank Major[1]
Unit126th Illinois Infantry
Battles/warsCivil War

William W. Wilshire (born William Wallace Wilshire; September 8, 1830 – August 19, 1888)[2] was an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for Arkansas's 3rd congressional district (1873–74 and 1875–77).

Biography

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Born in Shawneetown, Illinois, Wilshire was educated in the country schools. He spent three years in California engaged in gold mining, from 1852 to 1855, when he returned to his home in Port Byron and engaged in the coal mining and mercantile business. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1859.

Wilshire entered the Union Army as major in the One Hundred and Twenty-sixth Regiment, Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and served from July 16, 1862. Following the Siege of Vicksburg, his regiment was sent to Arkansas and on the Little Rock Campaign under Major General Frederick Steele's force.[2][1] He resigned July 16, 1864 because of health reasons.

After the war, he relocated to the capital city of Little Rock, Arkansas, and commenced the practice of law. He was appointed solicitor general of the state in 1867. From 1868 to 1871, he was chief justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court, leaving the position to resume his law practice.[2]

The 1872 general election of Wilshire as a Republican Representative to the Forty-third U. S. Congress for the Third Congressional District was disputed by Democrat Thomas Gunter and, after a lengthy review by the Committee on Elections, Gunter was declared the winner and rightful occupant of the seat, ultimately taking the oath on June 16, 1874.[3]

Wilshire was elected as a Democrat to the Forty-fourth Congress (March 4, 1875 – March 3, 1877). He was not a candidate for renomination in 1876. He engaged in the practice of law in Washington, D.C., where he died August 19, 1888.[2]

He was interred at Mount Holly Cemetery in Little Rock.

Notes

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Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress

References

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  • United States Congress. "William W. Wilshire (id: W000567)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
  1. ^ a b Herndon, Dallas T., ed. (1947). Annals of Arkansas. Vol. 1. Hopkinsville, Kentucky: The Historical Record Association. p. 540. LCCN 48002456. OCLC 3920841.
  2. ^ a b c d Arkansas Courts, A Self-Guided Tour of Justice Building Portraits (2016), p. 8.
  3. ^ Gunter vs. Wilshire. Washington, D.C.: The House of Representatives During the First Session of the 43rd Congress. 1874. Papers in the Case of Thomas M. Gunter vs. W. W. Wilshire, Third Congressional District of Arkansas