William B. Washburn

William Barrett Washburn
Washburn in circa 1860–1865
United States Senator
from Massachusetts
In office
April 17, 1874 – March 3, 1875
Preceded byCharles Sumner
Succeeded byHenry L. Dawes
28th Governor of Massachusetts
In office
January 4, 1872 – April 17, 1874
LieutenantJoseph Tucker
Thomas Talbot
Preceded byWilliam Claflin
Succeeded byThomas Talbot
as Acting Governor
William Gaston
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Massachusetts's 9th district
In office
March 4, 1863 – December 5, 1871
Preceded byAmasa Walker
Succeeded byAlvah Crocker
Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
In office
1853–1855
Member of the Massachusetts Senate
In office
1850
Personal details
Born(1820-01-31)January 31, 1820
Winchendon, Massachusetts, US
DiedOctober 5, 1887(1887-10-05) (aged 67)
Springfield, Massachusetts, US
Political partyRepublican
Alma materYale College
Signature

William Barrett Washburn (January 31, 1820 – October 5, 1887) was an American businessman and politician from Massachusetts. Washburn served several terms in the United States House of Representatives (1863–71) and as the 28th governor of Massachusetts from 1872 to 1874, when he won election to the United States Senate in a special election to succeed the recently deceased Charles Sumner. A moderate Republican, Washburn only partially supported the Radical Republican agenda during the American Civil War and the Reconstruction Era that followed.

A Yale graduate, Washburn parlayed early business success in furniture manufacture into banking and railroads, based in the Connecticut River valley town of Greenfield. He was a major proponent of railroads in northern and western Massachusetts, sitting on the board of the Connecticut River Railroad for many years, and playing an oversight role in the construction of the Hoosac Tunnel. He has been described as a latter-day "Connecticut River God" because of his role as a leading regional businessman and politician.[1]

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