William Hayden English

William Hayden English

William Hayden English was an American politician. He served as a U.S. Representative from Indiana from 1853 to 1861. He was the Democratic Party’s nominee for Vice President of the United States in 1880. In the American Civil War he was a War Democrat, supporting the Union war effort.

About William Hayden English in brief

Summary William Hayden EnglishWilliam Hayden English was an American politician. He served as a U.S. Representative from Indiana from 1853 to 1861. He was the Democratic Party’s nominee for Vice President of the United States in 1880. English was successful in business and became one of the wealthiest men in Indiana. In the American Civil War he was a War Democrat, supporting the Union war effort. He also owned an opera house, was president of a bank, and developed many residential properties. English died in Indiana in 1883, at the age of 80. He is buried in the Indiana State Cemetery. He had a son, William Eastin English, and a daughter, Rosalind English, both of whom were also politicians. English also had a grandson, William E. English, who was elected to the Indiana House of Representatives in 1851 and served as speaker of the House from 1852 to 1853. He died in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1881. He left behind a wife, Emma Mardulia Jackson, and two children, William, Eastin, and Rosalinda. English is survived by his wife and three children. He has a son and daughter-in-law, who are both still living in Indiana and have a son of their own, also named William English, also served in the U. S. House of Represenatives. English had a great deal of influence on the Indiana state constitution of 1851. He worked to achieve a compromise on the admission of Kansas as a state.

English worked for the election of Graham Fitch, a Democrat, to the U S. Senate in 1852. English served in Congress until 1861, when he joined the 33rd Congress. He retired from Congress in 1861, but remained involved in party affairs. He later became an author and businessman, and owned a opera house and a bank. In 1875, English was a co-founder of the Indiana Democratic Party, which he helped found with Jesse D. Bright. In 1880, English and his presidential running mate, Winfield Scott Hancock, lost narrowly to their Republican opponents, James A. Garfield and Chester A. Arthur. English later became a well-known lawyer and author. He lived in Indiana until his death in 1891. He and his wife had two children: William East in 1892 and Rosalsind in 1894. English’s son William East, a lawyer, died in 1998, at age 80, and was buried in Indiana, near his wife, Mahala English, in Lexington, Indiana. His grandson William East English, a physician, was also a politician and served in Washington, D.C. in the 19th century. English wrote a book about the history of the state, “The Indiana State Constitution” (1851-1861). He was a member of the Democratic National Committee and the Democratic State Executive Committee of Indiana (D.N.C.) from 1849-1860. He helped write the Indiana Constitution of 1852, which was adopted by the voters.