Edward Oliver Wolcott | |
|---|---|
 | |
| United States Senator fromColorado | |
| In office March 4, 1889 – March 3, 1901 | |
| Preceded by | Thomas M. Bowen |
| Succeeded by | Thomas M. Patterson |
| Member of theColorado Senate | |
| In office 1879–1882 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1848-03-26)March 26, 1848 |
| Died | March 1, 1905(1905-03-01) (aged 56) Monte Carlo, Monaco |
| Resting place | Woodlawn Cemetery,The Bronx, New York |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Education | Yale University Harvard University (LLB) |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | Union Army |
| Unit | 150th Ohio Volunteer Infantry |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War |
Edward Oliver Wolcott (March 26, 1848 – March 1, 1905) was an Americanpolitician during the 1890s, who served for 12 years as aSenator from the state ofColorado.
Wolcott was born on March 26, 1848, inLongmeadow, Massachusetts. He was one of eleven children born to Harriet Amanda (née Pope) Wolcott andSamuel Wolcott, D.D., a Congregationalist minister, missionary, and writer of hymns. Among his siblings wasAnna Wolcott Vaile, an educator who established the Wolcott School for Girls.[1][2] A native ofHampden County, Massachusetts, Wolcott moved to Ohio as a boy.[3][4]
He was a descendant ofOliver Wolcott, signer of theUnited States Declaration of Independence.[5] He graduated fromYale College before attendingHarvard Law School, from where he graduated in 1875.[6]
He served in the150th Ohio Volunteer Infantry during theAmerican Civil War.[3] He enlisted at age 16.[1]
After graduating fromHarvard Law School in 1875, he moved to Colorado where he set up a law practice. In the late 1890s and early 1900s, one of the partners in his practice wasCharles W. Waterman, later aUnited States senator.[3]
From 1876 to 1879 he served as a district attorney in Colorado. In 1879, Wolcott moved toDenver, where he began his political career as a Colorado state senator (1879–1882).[7] In 1889, he was chosen to represent Colorado in the U.S. Senate, as a member of theRepublican Party. When he entered Congress, he was the youngest member of the Senate.[8] He was reelected in 1895, and was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1901, 1902 and 1903.[9]
While inWashington, D.C., Wolcott was a leading advocate for the coinage of silver. In 1897,President McKinley named him chairman of the commission sent toEurope to report on internationalbimetallism. He was a popular host and guest in Washington society. He was chairman of the Committee on Civil Service and Retrenchment (51st and52nd Congresses), and the Committee on Post Office and Post Roads (54th through56th Congresses).[9]
In 1900, Wolcott was denied renomination to the Senate, which ended his political career. He once again took up the practice of law in Colorado, and maintained that practice until his death.[9][10]
In 1890, Wolcott was married toFrances Esther (née Metcalfe) Bass (1851–1933) by The Rev. Francis Lobdell atSt. Paul's Cathedral inBuffalo, New York. Frances, the widow ofU.S. RepresentativeLyman K. Bass, was the daughter of James Harvey Metcalfe and Erzelia Frances (née Stetson) Metcalfe of Buffalo.[11] From her first marriage, she was the mother ofLyman M. Bass, theU.S. Attorney for the Western District of New York. They later divorced in 1899.[8]
Wolcott died on March 1, 1905, while he was on vacation inMonte Carlo.[8] Wolcott's remains were cremated in Paris, and the ashes were interred atWoodlawn Cemetery inNew York City.[12]
The town ofWolcott inEagle County, Colorado, is named after him. It was originally known as Bussells, but was changed to Wolcott in his honor.[13]
This article incorporatespublic domain material fromBiographical Directory of the United States Congress.Federal government of the United States.
| U.S. Senate | ||
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| Preceded by | U.S. senator (Class 2) from Colorado 1889–1901 Served alongside:Henry M. Teller | Succeeded by |
| Class 2 |  | |
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| Class 3 | ||
| Post Office and Post Roads (1816–1947) | | |
|---|---|---|
| Civil Service and Retrenchment (1873–1921) | ||
| Civil Service (1921–1947) | ||
| Post Office and Civil Service (1947–1977) | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
