David Wilmot
| David Wilmot | |
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United States Senator from Pennsylvania |
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In office March 14, 1861 – March 4, 1863 |
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| Preceded by | Simon Cameron |
| Succeeded by | Charles Buckalew |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 12th district |
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In office March 4, 1845 – March 3, 1851 |
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| Preceded by | George Fuller |
| Succeeded by | Galusha Grow |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
January 20, 1814 Bethany, Pennsylvania, US |
| Died | March 16, 1868 (aged 54) Towanda, Pennsylvania, US |
| Political party | Democratic, Free Soil, Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Anna Morgan Wilmot |
| Profession | Politician, Lawyer, Judge |
| Signature |  |
David Wilmot (January 20, 1814 – March 16, 1868) was a U.S. politician; he was elected to the U.S. Congress, serving 1845–1851, and to the U.S. Senate, serving 1861–1863 to fill the remainder of a term. Wilmot was a Democrat, a Free Soiler, and a Republican. He was a sponsor and eponym of the Wilmot Proviso (1846), intended to ban slavery in western lands gained from Mexico in the Mexican–American War of 1846–1848. The proposal repeatedly passed the House of Representatives, but was defeated in the Senate, and never became law. However, it caused great anger and consternation in the South, and increased the prominence of the slavery issue on the national stage.
Wilmot was instrumental in establishing the Republican Party in Pennsylvania. His opposition to slavery did not include the evolving abolitionist position of immediately ending the institution in the entire country. His views on race were instead related to defense of white free labor and, by today’s standards, could be classified as racist. He also served as a District Judge and on the US Court of Claims.
David Wilmot was born in Bethany, Pennsylvania, to Randall (1792–1876) and Mary (née Grant) Wilmot (1792–1820). His father was a well-to-do merchant, and David's early life was a comfortable one. He was educated at the local Beech Woods Academy and later at the Cayuga Lake Academy in Aurora, New York. Moving to Wilkes-Barre in 1832, he read law under George W. Woodward and was admitted to the bar in Bradford County, Pennsylvania, in August 1834.
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