William P. Dillingham

William Paul Dillingham
United States Senator
from Vermont
In office
October 18, 1900[1] – July 12, 1923
Preceded byJonathan Ross
Succeeded byPorter H. Dale
42nd Governor of Vermont
In office
October 4, 1888 – October 2, 1890
LieutenantUrban A. Woodbury
Preceded byEbenezer J. Ormsbee
Succeeded byCarroll S. Page
Vermont Commissioner of Taxes
In office
December 1, 1882 – October 3, 1888
Preceded byNone (position created)
Succeeded byJames Loren Martin
Member of the Vermont Senate from Washington County
In office
1878–1882
Serving with Albert Dwinell
Preceded byEliakim Persons Walton
Ira Richardson
Succeeded byWillard S. Martin
Edwin K. Jones
Member of the Vermont House of Representatives from Waterbury
In office
1884–1886
Preceded byGeorge W. Randall
Succeeded byGeorge E. Moody
In office
1876–1878
Preceded byJohn B. Parker
Succeeded byLeander H. Haines
Personal details
Born(1843-12-12)December 12, 1843
Waterbury, Vermont
DiedJuly 12, 1923(1923-07-12) (aged 79)
Montpelier, Vermont
Political partyRepublican
SpouseMary E. Shipman (1846 -- 1893)
RelationsPaul Dillingham (father)
Matthew H. Carpenter (brother in law)
ProfessionLawyer

William Paul Dillingham (December 12, 1843 – July 12, 1923) was an American attorney and politician from the state of Vermont. A Republican and the son of Congressman and Governor Paul Dillingham, William P. Dillingham served as governor from 1888 to 1890 and United States Senator from 1900 until his death.

Dillingham was born in Waterbury, Vermont, in 1843, and attended schools in Vermont and New Hampshire. He studied law with his brother in law, Matthew Hale Carpenter, attained admission to the bar, and practiced in Waterbury and Montpelier.

Groomed for a political career from an early age, Dillingham served as Secretary of Civil and Military Affairs (chief assistant to the governor) during his father's term and that of Asahel Peck, State's Attorney of Washington County, and member of the Vermont House of Representatives and Vermont State Senate. He was elected governor in 1888 and served one two-year term.

In 1900, Dillingham won election to the United States Senate, replacing Jonathan Ross, who had been appointed as a temporary replacement following the death of incumbent Justin Smith Morrill. Dillingham served in the Senate until his death, and was chairman of several committees during his tenure. As head of a commission that studied immigration, he argued that Eastern and Southern European immigrants posed a threat to the country's stability and growth, and that immigration from those areas should be curbed in the future.

Dillingham died in Montpelier in 1923 and was buried at Hope Cemetery in Waterbury.

  1. ^ Brown, John Howard (July 2006). The Cyclopedia Of American Biography V6: Comprising The Men And Women Of The United States Who Have Been Identified With The Growth Of The Nation. p. 552. ISBN 1161610650.