William H. Wallace, Jr.

There are several William H. Wallaces who are noteworthy, so it is interesting to wonder if they are related to this WHW.

1. Among the most likely is William Henry Wallace (b. 1862) — also known as William H. Wallace; W. H. Wallace — of Bay Port, Huron County, Mich.; Saginaw, Saginaw County, Mich. Born in Port Hope, Huron County, Mich., September 12, 1862. Father of Robert N. Wallace. Republican. Banker; delegate to Republican National Convention from Michigan, 1908, 1916, 1924; member of Michigan state board of agriculture; elected 1909, 1915. Scotch-Irish ancestry. Burial location unknown. Source: http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/wallace.html
2. The second most likely candidate is the William H. Wallace, who died 2/17/1878 at 24 years old and 8 days. He is buried in Milford Oak Grove Cemetery, Milford, Michigan, which has been designated as a Michigan historic site. Oak Grove Cemetery, established in May 1845 was formally named in May 1871. When it was officially designated as the township cemetery, the remains from the area's "old burying ground" begun on the corner of Mill and Washington streets in 1832 were moved to it. Elizur Ruggles, Milford's first white settler, and veterans of the war of 1812 and the civil ware are buried here. The site has an early potter's field near the Huron River. The cemetery vault, built to thwart grave robbers and to provide a place to store remains during hard winters, dates back to 1885. In 1980, the vault was restored and a new fieldstone entrance was built. The original cemetery, which covered 12.76 acres, has expanded over the years to encompass 15.6 acres. Location: The cemetery is located at 1055 Garden Street, Milford, MI. Source: downloaded Jan. 2011 from http://files.usgwarchives.net/mi/oakland/cemeteries/o26111.txt.
3. The less likely but more interesting candidate for the Sr. to this Jr. was William Henson Wallace (July 19, 1811 in Troy, Ohio – February 7, 1879 in Steilacoom, Washington Territory), an important figure in the early histories of two U.S. states. He served as governor and Congressional delegate from both Washington Territory and Idaho Territory.

After being admitted to the bar, William Henson Wallace moved to the Iowa District of Wisconsin Territory in 1837. He was elected to the Iowa Territorial Legislature after Iowa Territory was organized the following year. Wallace was appointed colonel of state troops and receiver of public money at Fairfield. William Henson Wallace ran an unsuccessful campaign for delegate from Iowa Territory in 1843. In 1848 he was a candidate for United States Senate from the new State of Iowa, but the Iowa Legislature instead selected Democrats George W. Jones and Augustus C. Dodge. Wallace moved to Washington Territory in 1853.

In 1861 William Henson Wallace was appointed governor of Washington Territory by President Abraham Lincoln, but was also elected the territory's delegate to the United States House of Representatives and never took office. Wallace served a single term representing Washington Territory in the House.

Shortly after his term expired in March 1863, Lincoln appointed Wallace governor of the new Idaho Territory. William Henson Wallace designated Lewiston as the territory's capital and arrived there in July. Later that year, he was elected as the delegate from Idaho Territory and again vacated his gubernatorial appointment to serve in the House.

After his term expired in March 1865, William Henson Wallace returned to Washington Territory where he served as a probate judge in Pierce County until his death in 1879. William Henson Wallace is buried in Fort Steilacoom Cemetery.

William Henson Wallace was reputedly one of several people who turned down an invitation from Lincoln to accompany him to Ford's Theatre on the night Lincoln was assassinated.His older brother David Wallace served as a Whig Governor of Indiana from 1837 to 1840, and his nephew was Lew Wallace, Civil War Union general and author of Ben-Hur.