24 Facts About William Upham

William Upham was an American attorney and politician from Montpelier, Vermont.

William Upham was most notable for his service as a United States senator from Vermont.

William Upham was educated locally and worked on the family farm until he lost his right hand in an accident when he was fifteen.

William Upham then completed an academic course at Montpelier Academy and with local tutors in preparation to study law.

William Upham was admitted to the bar in 1811 and practiced in Montpelier.

William Upham was an advocate for reform causes including temperance and the abolition of slavery, and changed his party affiliation several times as the anti-slavery movement grew and coalesced, going from the National Republicans to the Anti-Masonic Party to the Whigs in the 1830s.

William Upham was a leader of both the Anti-Masons and the Whigs, represented Montpelier in the Vermont House of Representatives twice, and served a term as State's Attorney of Washington County.

William Upham was reelected in 1848 and served from March 4,1843 until his death.

William Upham became ill in late 1852, and died in Washington, DC, on January 14,1853.

William Upham was believed to have contracted smallpox and was assumed to be contagious.

William Upham moved with his family to Montpelier, Vermont, in 1802.

William Upham worked on his family's farm and attended the district schools until age 15, when he sustained an injury after catching his hand in a cider mill; all the fingers of his right hand were crushed, resulting in the amputation of his whole hand, including the fingers and palm.

William Upham then followed an academic course with the intent of pursuing a professional career, and attended Montpelier Academy and classes with two private tutors.

William Upham attended the University of Vermont, then studied law, first with Cyrus Ward, then with Samuel Prentiss.

William Upham was admitted to the bar in 1811 and commenced practice in Montpelier in partnership with Nicholas Baylies, which they maintained for several years, after which William Upham practiced as the senior partner of his own firm.

William Upham became active in politics as a member of the National Republican Party and was an advocate for several reform causes including the abolition of slavery and the temperance movement.

William Upham was a member of the Vermont House of Representatives from 1827 to 1829 and was State's Attorney for Washington County from 1829 to 1830.

In 1834, William Upham was the unsuccessful Whig and Anti-Masonic nominee for the United States House of Representatives in Vermont's 5th District.

Crafts was not a candidate for a full term, and William Upham was the successful Whig candidate for the seat.

William Upham was reelected in 1848 and served from March 4,1843, until his death.

William Upham was an opponent of allowing slavery to extend beyond where it already existed, and voted against the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 and other details related to the Compromise of 1850.

William Upham was a proponent of the Wilmot Proviso, which would have prevented the US from extending slavery into any territory acquired as a result of the Mexican War.

William Upham died of smallpox in Washington, DC, on January 14,1853; because he was believed to be contagious, his funeral was held quickly, and his remains were not returned to Vermont.

William Upham was a descendant of Edmund Rice, an English immigrant to Massachusetts Bay Colony, as follows:.