English, William Hayden

English, William Hayden, 1822–96, U.S. Congressman (1853–61), b. Scott co., Ind. A lawyer, he entered politics and served in the House of Representatives (1853–1861). In 1858, when the terms under which Kansas would be admitted to the Union were a crucial question, he proposed a compromise; Kansas was offered a land grant if it would accept the proslavery Lecompton Constitution. Southern votes passed the “English compromise,” but the Kansans—as English is said to have foreseen—refused it. He was vice-presidential running mate to Gen. W. S. Hancock on the unsuccessful Democratic ticket in 1880.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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