William Dayton
| William L. Dayton | |
|---|---|
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| United States Minister to France | |
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In office May 19, 1861 – December 1, 1864 |
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| Appointed by | Abraham Lincoln |
| Preceded by | Charles J. Faulkner |
| Succeeded by | John Bigelow |
| 21st Attorney General of New Jersey | |
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In office 1857–1861 |
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| Preceded by | Richard P. Thompson |
| Succeeded by | Frederick T. Frelinghuysen |
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United States Senator from New Jersey |
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In office July 2, 1842 – March 3, 1851 |
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| Preceded by | Samuel L. Southard |
| Succeeded by | |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
William Lewis Dayton February 17, 1807 Basking Ridge, New Jersey |
| Died | December 1, 1864 (aged 57) Paris, France |
| Political party | Whig, Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Margaret E. Dayton |
| Profession | politician, Lawyer |
William Lewis Dayton (February 17, 1807 – December 1, 1864) was an American politician, active first in the Whig Party and later in the Republican Party. In the 1856 presidential election, he became the first Republican vice-presidential nominee when nominated alongside John C. Frémont. The Republican Party lost that campaign. During the American Civil War, Dayton served as the United States Ambassador to France, a position in which he worked to prevent French recognition of the Confederacy.
A distant relation of U.S. House Speaker and U.S. Constitution signatory Jonathan Dayton, William L. Dayton was born in Basking Ridge, New Jersey, to farmer Joel Dayton and his wife. He graduated from the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) in 1825 and worked as a lawyer in Freehold.
In 1837, he was elected to the New Jersey Legislative Council and became an associate judge of the New Jersey Supreme Court the following year. Following the death of U.S. Senator Samuel L. Southard, he was appointed to the United States Senate starting July 2, 1842, and elected to finish the term ending in 1845. He was re-elected by the New Jersey Legislature as a Whig in 1845 but lost in 1851, ending his service on March 3, 1851.
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