William Bross
| William J. Bross | |
|---|---|
 |
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| 16th Lieutenant Governor of Illinois | |
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In office January 16, 1865 – January 11, 1869 |
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| Governor | Richard J. Oglesby |
| Preceded by | Francis Hoffmann |
| Succeeded by | John Dougherty |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 4, 1813 Sussex County, New Jersey |
| Died | January 27, 1890 (aged 76) Chicago, Illinois |
| Political party | Republican |
| Children | Jessie Bross Lloyd |
| Alma mater | Williams College |
| Profession | newspaper editor |
William J. Bross (November 4, 1813 – January 27, 1890) was an American politician and publisher originally from the New Jersey–New York–Pennsylvania tri-state area. He was also the 16th Lieutenant Governor of Illinois. He engaged in the lumber trade with his father before attending Williams College. He taught at schools for ten years, then headed west to Chicago, Illinois. He engaged in book-selling and publishing interests before co-founding the successful Democratic Press paper. Following the organization of the Republican Party in 1854, he became a staunch supporter of its political candidates. His support for Abraham Lincoln helped win him support for a bid as Lieutenant Governor. In 1865, he accompanied future Vice President of the United States Schuyler Colfax on a trip west to California, later publishing a book about the excursion.
William Bross was born on November 4, 1813, in northwest Sussex County, New Jersey. He was the eldest of eleven children of Deacon Moses Bross and Jane Winfield Bross. He was the eldest because he was born a few minutes before his twin Stephen Decatur Bross. When he was nine, William moved with his family to Milford, Pennsylvania in anticipation of the construction of the Delaware and Hudson Canal. He helped his father furnish lumber for the canal near Shohola. In 1832, he enlisted at Milford Academy, then attended Williams College, rooming with his twin brother. William Bross was one of the founding members of The Social Fraternity at Williams, forerunner to Delta Upsilon. Shortly after graduating in 1838, he became the principal of Ridgebury Academy in Ridgebury, New York. In 1843, he began to teach at a school in Chester, Pennsylvania, teaching for another five years. Starting in 1846, Bross took trips west to identify a better place to settle. He decided on the emerging city of Chicago, Illinois, arriving on May 12, 1848.
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