William Cogswell
William Cogswell (August 23, 1838 – May 22, 1895) was an American lawyer, Civil War veteran, and politician from Massachusetts. He served as a U.S. representative from Massachusetts from 1887 until his death in 1895.
Born in Bradford, Massachusetts, Cogswell attended several academies and studied at Dartmouth College before going to Harvard Law School. He became a lawyer in Salem, Massachusetts.
When the Civil War began, Cogswell raised a company for the Union Army and served as captain, then lieutenant colonel, and finally colonel of the 2nd Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. He received a brevet promotion to brigadier general in 1864, confirmed in 1865, for his military service.
After the war, he returned to law and entered politics. He was mayor of Salem (1867–1869 and 1873–1874), a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives (1870–1871 and 1881–1883), and a member of the Massachusetts Senate (1885–1886). He was a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1892.
In Congress, Cogswell was elected as a Republican and served from March 4, 1887, until his death on May 22, 1895. He was married twice: first to Emma Thorndike Proctor in 1865 (they had two children) and then to Eva M. Davis in 1881, with whom he remained until his death. He died in Washington, D.C., and is buried in Harmony Grove Cemetery in Salem, Massachusetts.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 03:58 (CET).