William Henry STILES, Congress, GA (1808-1865)

STILES, William Henry, (grandson of Joseph Clay), a Representative from Georgia; born in Savannah, Ga., January 1, 1808; completed preparatory studies; studied law at Yale College; was admitted to the bar in 1831 and commenced practice in Savannah, Ga.; solicitor general for the eastern district of Georgia 1833-1836; elected as a Democrat to the Twenty-eighth Congress (March 4, 1843-March 3, 1845); appointed on April 19, 1845, by President Polk as Chargé d’Affaires to Austria and served until October 1849; resumed the practice of law in Savannah; member of the State house of representatives and served as speaker in 1858; delegate from the State at large to the commercial congress held at Montgomery, Ala., in 1858; delegate to the Democratic National Convention at Baltimore in 1860; served as colonel in the Confederate Army during the Civil War; engaged in literary pursuits; died in Savannah, Ga., December 20, 1865; interment in Laurel Grove Cemetery.

Bibliography

Harwell, Christopher L. “William Stiles: Georgia Gentleman-Politician.” Ph.D. dissertation, Emory University, 1959.

Source: Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1771-Present