William W. Wick
Who was William W. Wick?
American politician (1796–1868)
Biographical data adapted from Wikipedia’s article on William W. Wick (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Biography
William Watson Wick was born on February 23, 1796, in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, and became an important figure in Indiana's legal and political scene during the pre-Civil War era. He trained as a lawyer and had a notable career that included work in the courtroom, the legislature, and public administration. He spent fifteen years as a judge, gaining a reputation as a careful and seasoned jurist before moving more into politics and public service.
Wick represented Indiana in the United States House of Representatives and served as Secretary of State of Indiana. This showed his ability to work across various areas of government. He was aligned with the Democratic Party and engaged in national debates on the significant issues of his time, particularly the expansion of slavery into western territories. President Franklin Pierce later appointed Wick as Postmaster of Indianapolis, Indiana, which was an important position and reflected his status within the Democratic Party.
Wick is perhaps most remembered politically for his proposal to amend the Wilmot Proviso in 1846. While the Wilmot Proviso aimed to ban slavery in territories acquired from Mexico after the Mexican-American War, Wick suggested an amendment to extend the Missouri Compromise line to the Pacific coast. This would allow for slave states south of the line and free states north of it. Although his amendment passed in the House of Representatives, it was defeated in the Senate. This left the issue of slavery in new territories unresolved and added to the tensions that eventually led to the Civil War.
Besides his views on territorial expansion, Wick supported the idea of moving Black Americans to Liberia, a view shared by many moderate Democrats and Whigs who opposed both immediate abolition and full integration. He stayed politically active into his later years, campaigning for Stephen A. Douglas in the 1860 presidential election, where Douglas ran as the Northern Democratic candidate against Abraham Lincoln. Wick died on May 19, 1868, in Franklin, Indiana, having lived through the Civil War and the start of Reconstruction.
Before Fame
William Watson Wick was born in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, a small town with a strong focus on education, home to Jefferson College, which produced many lawyers, ministers, and public figures in the early nineteenth century. Growing up in this environment likely influenced his ambitions toward education and law, which offered young men promising paths to success in the new American republic.
After studying law and becoming a licensed attorney, Wick moved to Indiana, a young state developing its legal and governmental systems during the 1820s and 1830s. With Indiana's frontier nature, there was a strong demand for trained lawyers to manage private disputes and fill roles in the courts and legislatures being set up across the state. Wick seized these opportunities, becoming first a judge and then a regional political figure.
Key Achievements
- Served as a U.S. Representative from Indiana in the United States Congress
- Held the office of Secretary of State of Indiana
- Served as a judge for fifteen years, contributing to the development of Indiana's early legal system
- Proposed an influential if ultimately unsuccessful amendment to the Wilmot Proviso in 1846 that shaped congressional debate over slavery's westward expansion
- Appointed Postmaster of Indianapolis by President Franklin Pierce
Did You Know?
- 01.Wick proposed an amendment to the Wilmot Proviso in 1846 that would have made parts of the American Southwest into slave states by extending the Missouri Compromise line to the Pacific coast.
- 02.His amendment passed the House of Representatives but was rejected by the Senate, leaving the slavery question in acquired Mexican territories unresolved.
- 03.President Franklin Pierce, a fellow Democrat, appointed Wick as Postmaster of Indianapolis, one of the most prominent federal patronage positions available in the state capital.
- 04.Wick served as a judge for a total of fifteen years across his legal career before focusing on legislative and administrative roles.
- 05.He campaigned for Stephen A. Douglas in the 1860 presidential election, supporting the Northern Democratic candidate against both Abraham Lincoln and the Southern Democratic nominee John C. Breckinridge.