Biography

03/02/1816 - 10/29/1880

William Elliott (R6) Philadelphia County 1879-1880

Early Life: 

William Elliott, born Ireland, March 2, 1816; graduated, Goodfellow’s Private School, 1832; marble-cutter; tax collector, city of Philadelphia; prison inspector, Philadelphia, 1852-1854; elected, delegate, National Republican Convention, Chicago, 1860; member, Philadelphia Gas Trust; elected, common council, city of Philadelphia, 1866; elected, Republican, Pennsylvania House of Representatives, 1870-1873, elected, Speaker, 1872-1873; not a candidate for reelection, 1873; elected, sheriff, Philadelphia County, 1873-1876; elected, Republican, Pennsylvania State Senate, 1879-1880; wife, four daughters and one son, died, October 29, 1880, while in office of the Senate, Bright's disease, residence, city of Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania; interred, Laurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania.

Early Career:

Apprenticeship, Edwin Greble, who owned the largest marble-cutting establishment in Philadelphia, 1832.

Professional titles; business ownership; board memberships; local government; club memberships:

Member, Philadelphia Gas Trust.

Pennsylvania Politics:

Appointed, prison inspector of Philadelphia, Mayor Charles Gilpin, 1852-1854.

Elected, delegate, National Republican Convention, Chicago, 1860. 

Elected, common council, city of Philadelphia, 1866. 

Elected, Republican, Pennsylvania House of Representatives, 1870-1873, elected, Speaker, Pennsylvania House of Representatives, 1872-1873; not a candidate for reelection, 1873; Bureau of Labor Statistics and Agriculture, created with Act 46.; the duty of this office was to collect and classify statistics pertaining to the mineral, manufacturing, agriculture, and commercial production in the Commonwealth, 1872; second tenure as Speaker, the “Panic of 1873” occurred. The national economic downturn included the New York Stock Exchange closing for 10 days, foreclosures and bank failures, factory closings, and masses of destitute people. To address the economic depression which would last a decade, the Pennsylvania legislature created the State Insurance Department through Act 3 on April 4, 1873.

Elected, sheriff, Philadelphia County, 1873-1876. 

Elected, Republican, Pennsylvania State Senate, 6th district, Philadelphia County, 1879-1880, committee assignments, Banks, Corporations and New Counties and County Seats; died, October 29, 1880, while in office of the Senate.

Pennsylvania House of Representatives Biography:

Official Website - PA House Archives Official Website (state.pa.us) 

Pennsylvania Speaker of House of Representatives Biography:

William Elliott - PA House of Representatives - PA House of Representatives (state.pa.us)

Cited: 

Cox, Harold. Senate Members "E" (wilkes.edu). Wilkes University Election Statistics Project. Wilkes University.

Smull’s Legislative Handbook, (1879). Smull, J.A., (Editor) Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, pages 704, 710-712, Biographical Sketches of Senators, page 662.

Obituary, Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) October 30, 1880.

William Elliott (1816-1880) - Find a Grave Memorial