William A. Griswold (September 15, 1775 – January 17, 1846) was an American lawyer and politician in the U.S. state of Vermont. He served as the 22nd and 24th Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives.
Early life William Adams Griswold was born in New Marlborough, Massachusetts on September 15, 1775.Death notice, The Vermont Watchman & State Journal Newspaper, January 29, 1846, reprinted on Northeast Kingdom Genealogy website, accessed February 21, 2012 General Catalogue of Dartmouth College, published by the college, 1900, page 128 His family moved to Bennington, Vermont when he was ten years old and he attended the common schools there. He graduated from Dartmouth College in 1794, studied law with Jonathan Robinson of Bennington, and started a law practice in Danville. General Catalogue of Dartmouth College, published by the college, 1890, pages 7 to 8 Among the prospective attorneys who studied law in his Danville office was Ephraim Paddock.
Political career In 1803 Griswold was named State's Attorney for Caledonia County, a position in which he served almost continuously until moving to Burlington in 1821.Journals of the General Assembly of the State of Vermont, published by Sereno Wright 1810, page 40Gazetteer of Caledonia and Essex Counties, Vt. 1764-1887, by Hamilton Child, 1887, page 37 From 1804 to 1817, he served as Caledonia County's Register of Probate. A Democratic-Republican, Griswold represented Danville in the Vermont House of Representatives from 1807–1811.Biographical sketch, William A. Griswold, by G. B. Sawyer, published in Vermont History magazine, undated, reprinted on Ancestry.com website, accessed February 21, 2012
In 1812 Griswold was one of Vermont's presidential electors, casting his ballot for James Madison.A History and Description of New England, by Austin Jacobs Coolidge and John Brainard Mansfield, 1859, page 990 In 1813 Griswold returned to the Vermont House, serving until 1818. He served again in the State House from 1819–1820. Griswold was Speaker of the House from 1815-1818 and 1819–1820.Early History of Vermont, by LaFayette Wilbur, Volume 3, 1902, page 382
He was named United States Attorney for Vermont in 1821, a position in which he served until 1829.Journal of the Executive Proceedings of the Senate of the United States, published by U.S. Senate, 1821, page 246 Catalogue of the Principal Officers of Vermont, by Leonard Deming, 1851, page 112 In 1828 he was elected to the Vermont Council of Censors.Journal of the Council of Censors of the State of Vermont, published by E. P. Walton (Montpelier), 1828, page 3 From 1828 until his death he served as President of the Lake Champlain Transportation Company, which operated steamships on Lake Champlain. History of Clinton and Franklin Counties, New York, by Duane Hamilton Hurd, 1880, pages 52 to 53
Griswold served on the Vermont Governor's Council from 1833–1834. Records of the Governor and Council of the State of Vermont for 1833 to 1834, published by E.P. Walton (Montpelier), 1880, page 104 In 1836 Griswold, by now a Whig, was a presidential elector from Vermont and cast his ballot for William Henry Harrison.The Vermont Historical Gazetteer, by Abby Maria Hemenway, Volume 1, 1867, pages 622 to 623 Griswold represented Burlington in the Vermont House from 1841–1842.Journal of the General Assembly of the State of Vermont, published by E. P. Walton (Montpelier), 1841, page 4
He died in Burlington on January 17, 1846.Death notice, The Vermont Watchman & State Journal Newspaper, January 29, 1846, reprinted on Northeast Kingdom Genealogy website, accessed February 21, 2012 Sketches of the Alumni of Dartmouth College, published by the college, 1867, page 74 He was buried at Elmwood Cemetery in Burlington.University of Vermont Students, Elmwood Cemetery: A Walking Tour of Burlington's History, 2008, page 45
References