William Chilton
Secretary of the Senate Democratic Caucus
In office March 4, 1911 – March 4, 1913
Leader	Thomas S. Martin
Preceded by	Robert L. Owen
Succeeded by	Willard Saulsbury Jr.
United States Senator fromWest Virginia
In office March 4, 1911 – March 4, 1917
Preceded by	Nathan B. Scott
Succeeded by	Howard Sutherland
Secretary of State of West Virginia
In office March 4, 1893 – March 4, 1897
Governor	William A. MacCorkle
Preceded by	William Ohley
Succeeded by	William M. O. Dawson
Personal details
Born	William Edwin Chilton (1858-03-17)March 17, 1858 Colesmouth,Virginia,U.S. (now St. Albans, West Virginia)
Died	November 7, 1939(1939-11-07) (aged 81) Charleston,West Virginia,U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Education	Shelton College (BA)

William Edwin Chilton (March 17, 1858 – November 7, 1939) was aUnited States senator fromWest Virginia. Born inColesmouth, Virginia (now St. Albans, West Virginia), he attended public and private schools and graduated from Shelton College in St. Albans. He taught school, studied law, and was admitted to thebar in 1880, commencing practice inCharleston, West Virginia, in 1882. He also engaged in the newspaper publishing business, and wasprosecuting attorney ofKanawha County in 1883. In 1892 he was chairman of theDemocratic State executive committee and wasSecretary of State of West Virginia from 1893 to 1897.

Chilton was elected as a Democrat to the U.S. Senate and served from March 4, 1911, to March 3, 1917; while in the Senate, he was chairman of the Committee on Census (Sixty-third and Sixty-fourth Congresses) and of the Committee on Printing (Sixty-fourth Congress), and also served on theSenate Judiciary Committee. Chilton's bid for reelection in 1916 failed; he unsuccessfully contested the election of his opponent,Howard Sutherland.

After Chilton's term in the Senate, he resumed the practice of law and the newspaper publishing business in Charleston. He was an unsuccessful candidate for election to the Senate in 1924 and again in 1934. He died in Charleston in 1939; interment was in Teay's Hill Cemetery, St. Albans.

His parents' house at St. Albans, known as theChilton House, was listed on theNational Register of Historic Places in 1977.^[1]

Chilton didn't use a suffix in his lifetime but was technically William Edwin Chilton Jr., as his parents were William Edwin Chilton (1827–1881) and Mary Elizabeth Wilson Chilton (1831–1918).

On December 19, 1892, he married Mary Louise Tarr (1866–1953) in Washington, D.C. They had four children:

• William Edwin Chilton III (1893–1950); because his father never used a suffix, this William was known as William Edwin Chilton Jr.; on June 19, 1920, inKingston, New York, he married Louise Burt Schoonmaker (1899–1928).
  • William Edwin Chilton IV (1921–1987); typically referred to as William III.
  • Mary Carroll Chilton (1925–1971); married to and divorced from Park Vassar Chapman (1924–1994), a First Lieutenant in the United States Army during World War II and descendant ofMatthew Vassar, founder ofVassar College; married secondly James Abbot.
    • Robert Laurent Chapman (1948-
    • Park Vassar Chapman Jr. (1953-
    • Carroll Louise Chapman
    • Alice Chilton Abbot
    • Leslie Ann Abbot
    • Karen Elizabeth Abbot
• Joseph Eustace Chilton (1895–1937)
• Eleanor Carroll Chilton (1898–1949), novelist and poet
• Elizabeth Leigh Chilton (1901–1986); married 1st Girard R. Lowrey (1899–1957) on November 27, 1920, inManhattan, New York; married 2nd Douglas Murray/Murry.

His wife's niece, Louise Benedict Schoonmaker, marriedRobert V. Keeley, a United States diplomat.

At the dedication of the capital of West Virginia, Mr. Chilton introduced the speaker to be the founder of Mother's Day, Miss Anna Jarvis. As quoted she stated "This beautiful moment and magnificent capitol building is a fitting monument to the sacrifice, the devotion, the industry, and the hopes of West Virginia Mothers. This State has always shown the element of greatness. Today this State honors its homes, and its Mothers as has no other state in this nation. Today for the first time in history the Mothers have a part in the dedication of a great public edifice. It is an honor to every West Virginia home, and a tribute to all Mothers. May we realize that this beautiful building stands for truth, for justice, for integrity, for progress, and for the hopes and ambitions of all West Virginia Mothers."^[2]

• United States Congress."William E. Chilton (id: C000360)".Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.

• William E. Chilton atFind a Grave
• West Virginia Encyclopedia
• West Virginia & Regional History Center atWest Virginia University,William Edwin Chilton papers

• 1858 births
• 1939 deaths
• 19th-century American lawyers
• 20th-century American lawyers
• 19th-century American newspaper publishers (people)
• County prosecuting attorneys in West Virginia
• Democratic Party United States senators from West Virginia
• Lawyers from Charleston, West Virginia
• Politicians from Charleston, West Virginia
• People from St. Albans, West Virginia
• Secretaries of state of West Virginia
• West Virginia Democrats
• West Virginia lawyers
• 19th-century West Virginia politicians
• 20th-century West Virginia politicians
• 20th-century American newspaper publishers (people)
• 20th-century United States senators

• Articles using NRISref without a reference number
• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata