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William Lewis Dayton Jr.

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William L. Dayton Jr., U.S. Ambassador to the Netherlands

William Lewis Dayton Jr. (April 13, 1839 – July 28, 1897) was an American lawyer, judge and diplomat who served as U.S. Minister to the Netherlands. He was the son of William L. Dayton.

Biography

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William Lewis Dayton Jr. was born in Princeton, New Jersey on April 13, 1839. He graduated from Princeton University in 1858, studied law and became an attorney.[1]

A Republican, from 1861 to 1865 he served as a Secretary at the U.S. Embassy in Paris when his father was U.S. Ambassador to France. From 1865 to 1868 he served as Secretary to Governor Marcus Lawrence Ward.[2]

The younger Dayton was elected to the Trenton City Council in 1876 and served as Council President from 1876 to 1877. From 1879 to 1881 he was Trenton's City Solicitor.[3]

In 1882 Dayton was appointed Minister to the Netherlands, serving until 1885.[4] He served again as Trenton City Solicitor from 1889 to 1891. He was appointed a Judge of the New Jersey Court of Appeals in 1896 and served until his death.[5]

Dayton was a founder of Mercer Hospital, Counsel and a board of directors member for the Trenton Banking Company, a member of the Trenton Battle Monument Association, manager of the Trenton Saving Fund Society, and President of the Board of Trustees of Trenton's First Presbyterian Church.[6][7]

Dayton died in Trenton on July 28, 1897.[8] He is buried in Trenton's Riverview Cemetery.[9]

William L. Dayton Jr. was married to Harriet Maria Stockton, the daughter of Robert F. Stockton (1832–1898) and niece of John P. Stockton.[10][11][12][13]

References

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  1. ^ Walter Romeyn Benjamin, The Collector: A Monthly Magazine for Autograph and Historical Collectors, Volume 12, Issue 4, (January, 1899), page 40
  2. ^ T. F. Fitzgerald, Manual of the Legislature of New Jersey, 1897, page 294
  3. ^ John Howard Brown, Lamb's Biographical Dictionary of the United States, Volume 2, 1900, page 394
  4. ^ Hartford Courant, The New Diplomatic Appointments, April 22, 1882
  5. ^ Rossiter Johnson, John Howard Brown, The Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, 1904, page 1898
  6. ^ Trenton Banking Company, The Trenton Banking Company: A History of the First Century of its Existence, 1907, page 107
  7. ^ New York Times, Trenton's Battle Monument, October 20, 1893
  8. ^ New York Times, Death List of a Day, July 29, 1897
  9. ^ William L. Dayton Jr. at Find A Grave
  10. ^ Daughters of the American Revolution, Lineage Book, Volume 10, 1899, page 77
  11. ^ Hamilton Schuyler, A History of St. Michael's Church, Trenton, 1926, page 290
  12. ^ New York Times, Death Notice, Mrs. William L. Dayton, November 30, 1937
  13. ^ New York Times, Death List of a Day, May 6, 1898
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by U.S. Minister to the Netherlands
1882–1885
Succeeded by