William Hayden English, U.S. Congress

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William Hayden English

Birthdate:
Birthplace: Lexington, Scott County, Indiana, United States
Death: February 07, 1896 (73)
Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana, United States
Place of Burial: Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana, United States
Immediate Family:

Son of Elisha Gale English and Mahala Eastin
Husband of Emma Mardulia English
Father of William E. English, U.S. Congress

Managed by: Faustine Darsey on partial hiatus
Last Updated:

About William Hayden English, U.S. Congress

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Hayden_English

William Hayden English (August 27, 1822 – February 7, 1896) was an American congressman from Indiana and the Democratic nominee for vice president in 1880. English entered politics at a young age, becoming a part of Jesse D. Bright's conservative faction of the Indiana Democratic Party. After a few years in the federal bureaucracy in Washington beginning in 1845, he returned to Indiana and participated in the state constitutional convention of 1850. He was elected to the state house of representatives in 1851 and served as its speaker at the age of twenty-nine. After a two-year term in the state house, English represented Indiana in the federal House of Representatives for four terms from 1853 to 1861, working most notably to achieve a compromise on the admission of Kansas as a state.

English retired from the House in 1861, but remained involved in party affairs. In the American Civil War he was a War Democrat, supporting the Union war effort. As well as pursuing a political career, he was an author and businessman, owning an opera house, serving as president of a bank, and developing many residential properties. English's business career was successful, and he became one of the wealthiest men in Indiana. After nearly two decades in the private sector, English returned to political life as the Democratic nominee for vice president in 1880. English and his presidential running mate, Winfield Scott Hancock, lost narrowly to their Republican opponents, James A. Garfield and Chester A. Arthur.

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William Hayden English, U.S. Congress's Timeline

1822
August 27, 1822
Lexington, Scott County, Indiana, United States
1850
November 3, 1850
near Lexington, Scott County, Indiana, United States
1896
February 7, 1896
Age 73
Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana, United States
February 7, 1896
Age 73
Crown Hill Cemetery, Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana, United States