William M. Griswold

William M. Griswold
William M. Griswold
Member of the Wisconsin Senate
	In office; January 1, 1872 – January 6, 1873
Preceded by	Myron Reed
Succeeded by	Evan O. Jones
Constituency	27th Senate district
	In office; January 4, 1869 – January 1, 1872
Preceded by	Robert B. Sanderson
Succeeded by	Waldo Flint
Constituency	25th Senate district
Chairman of the Board of Supervisors of Columbia County, Wisconsin
	In office; January 1871 – January 1872
Preceded by	A. J. Turner
Succeeded by	A. J. Turner
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly; from the Columbia 2nd district
	In office; January 4, 1858 – January 7, 1861
Preceded by	Oliver C. Howe
Succeeded by	Nathan Hazen
Personal details
Born	February 7, 1823; Salisbury, Herkimer County, New York, U.S.
Died	October 10, 1889 (aged 66); Columbus, Wisconsin, U.S.
Cause of death	Cancer
Resting place	Hillside Cemetery, Columbus, Wisconsin
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Mary A. Sofield (died 1935)
Children	infant son; (b. 1870; died 1870);
Education	Union College
Profession	Lawyer

William M. Griswold (February 7, 1823 – October 10, 1889) was an American lawyer, Republican politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He served four years in the Wisconsin State Senate and three years in the State Assembly, representing Columbia County.

Early life

Born in Salisbury, Herkimer County, New York,^[1]^[2] Griswold graduated from Union College in 1844, and studied law with Judge Arphaxed Loomis in Little Falls, New York. He was admitted to the bar in 1850, at Schenectady, and then practiced law for three years as a junior partner to Loomis.^[1]^[3] He moved west to Wisconsin in 1853, and settled at Columbus, in Columbia County, Wisconsin.^[2]

Career

In Columbus, he worked for several years in a mercantile trade with his older brother, George. He then devoted himself to cultivating his farm.^[3]

Griswold was elected to three consecutive terms in the Wisconsin State Assembly, running on the Republican Party ticket. He represented Columbia County's 2nd Assembly district, which then comprised the southeast portion of the county.^[4]^[5]

He was subsequently elected to two terms in the Wisconsin State Senate, in 1868 and 1870, representing all of Columbia County.^[6] He declined renomination in 1872.^[5]^[1] Additionally, he was a member of the board of supervisors of Columbia County for four terms, and was chairman of the county board in 1871.^[2]^[3]

Personal life and death

William M. Griswold was the last child of Amos Griswold and his first wife Martha (née Munson). William's older brother, George Griswold, was his business partner for several years. Their younger half-brother, Eugene S. Griswold, came to live and work with them in Columbus, Wisconsin, in the 1850s.^[3]

William Griswold married Mary Sofied of Yates County, New York, in July 1868. They had two children, William and Mary.^[3]

Griswold died of cancer at his home in Columbus at the age of 66.^[1]^[5]

Electoral history

Wisconsin Senate (1868, 1870)

Wisconsin Senate, 25th District Election, 1868^[6]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
General Election, November 3, 1868
	Republican	William M. Griswold	3,854	66.97%
	Democratic	Amplias Chamberlin	1,901	33.03%
Plurality			1,953	33.94%
Total votes			5,755	100.0%
	Republican hold

Wisconsin Senate, 25th District Election, 1870^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
General Election, November 8, 1870
	Republican	William M. Griswold (incumbent)	2,291	63.11%	-3.85%
	Democratic	Frederick C. Curtis	1,339	36.89%
Plurality			952	26.23%	-7.71%
Total votes			3,630	100.0%	-36.92%
	Republican hold

References

1 2 3 4 "Ex-Senator Griswold Dead". The Weekly Wisconsin. Milwaukee, WI. October 19, 1899. p. 2. Retrieved June 1, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
1 2 3 4 "Official Directory". The Legislative Manual of the State of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. 1872. p. 441. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
1 2 3 4 5 Butterfield, Consul Willshire (1880). The History of Columbia County, Wisconsin. Western Historical Company. pp. 549, 967. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
↑ "List of Assembly Districts, with Names of Members". A Manual of Customs, Precedents, and Forms, in use in the Assembly of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. 1861. p. 34. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
1 2 3 "Ex-Senator William M. Griswold". The Eau Claire News. Eau Claire, WI. October 18, 1899. p. 2. Retrieved June 2, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
1 2 "Official Directory". The Legislative Manual of the State of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. 1870. p. 355. Retrieved July 10, 2022.

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[Obit-1] 1 2 3 4 "Ex-Senator Griswold Dead". The Weekly Wisconsin. Milwaukee, WI. October 19, 1899. p. 2. Retrieved June 1, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.

[1872bio-2] 1 2 3 4 "Official Directory". The Legislative Manual of the State of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. 1872. p. 441. Retrieved July 10, 2022.

[columbia-3] 1 2 3 4 5 Butterfield, Consul Willshire (1880). The History of Columbia County, Wisconsin. Western Historical Company. pp. 549, 967. Retrieved July 10, 2022.

[1861bb-4] "List of Assembly Districts, with Names of Members". A Manual of Customs, Precedents, and Forms, in use in the Assembly of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. 1861. p. 34. Retrieved July 10, 2022.

[Obit2-5] 1 2 3 "Ex-Senator William M. Griswold". The Eau Claire News. Eau Claire, WI. October 18, 1899. p. 2. Retrieved June 2, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.

[1870bio-6] 1 2 "Official Directory". The Legislative Manual of the State of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. 1870. p. 355. Retrieved July 10, 2022.

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