William Walter Phelps
| William Walter Phelps | |
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New Jersey's 5th district |
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In office March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1875 |
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| Preceded by | George A. Halsey |
| Succeeded by | Augustus W. Cutler |
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In office March 4, 1883 – March 3, 1889 |
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| Preceded by | John Hill |
| Succeeded by | Charles D. Beckwith |
| United States Ambassador to Austria-Hungary | |
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In office May 5, 1881 – June 30, 1882 |
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| Preceded by | John A. Kasson |
| Succeeded by | Alphonso Taft |
| United States Ambassador to Germany | |
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In office September 26, 1889 – June 4, 1893 |
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| Preceded by | George H. Pendleton |
| Succeeded by | Theodore Runyon |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 24, 1839 New York City, New York, USA |
| Died | June 17, 1894 (aged 55) Teaneck, New Jersey, USA |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Ellen Maria Sheffield Phelps |
| Profession | Politician, Lawyer, Judge, Banker |
William Walter Phelps (August 24, 1839 – June 17, 1894) was a United States Congressman and diplomat who served as United States Ambassador to Germany and Austria-Hungary.
He was the son of John Jay Phelps, a successful New York City merchant and financier, and was born in Dundaff, Pennsylvania. Prior to being elected to the United States House of Representatives he had a successful banking career in Manhattan, settling in Teaneck, New Jersey, across the Hudson River.
Young Phelps' first school experience was at Mount Washington Institute in New York. He was described by contemporaries as a round-faced, rosy-cheeked boy, with sparkling dark eyes; active though not physically strong. Phelps then attended private school at Golden Hill near Bridgeport, Connecticut, where his academic advancement was so rapid that he was fully prepared for college at the age of 15.
He graduated from Yale University in 1860, valedictorian of his class and a member of Skull and Bones. In the same year he married Ellen Maria Sheffield of New Haven, Connecticut. They traveled in Europe, where, in Paris, in 1861, their first child, John Jay II, was born. Phelps attended Columbia Law School, graduating in 1863. Following this, he practiced corporate law in New York City. In 1864, their second child, Sheffield, was born.
Phelps followed the family career in banking and industry, serving as a director for the National City Bank, the Second National Bank of New York, the United States Trust Co., the Farmer's Loan & Trust Co. and nine railroads.
After the birth of his two sons, he bought a summer home in Bergen County an old-fashioned Dutch farmhouse on the "Teaneck Ridge," an area of Teaneck now adjacent to Route 4 that had been the Garret-Brinkerhoff House in Revolutionary War days. Phelps extensively renovated the old homestead, converting it into one of the most beautiful and celebrated mansions of its time. In 1868, the last child, Marian, was born; she would go on to give birth to his grandson Phelps Phelps. In 1869, following the death of his father, John Jay, Phelps retired from his law practice and moved the family full-time to Teaneck.
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