William S. Groesbeck

William Slocum Groesbeck (July 24, 1815 – July 7, 1897) was an American lawyer and politician who served one term as a U.S. Representative from Ohio from 1857 to 1859. Early life Groesbeck was born in Kinderhook, New York, on July 24, 1815. He was the son of John H. Groesbeck (1790–1862) and Mary (née Slocum) Groesbeck (1794–1854). The Groesbeck family was originally from Amsterdam. William's sister, Margaret Groesbeck, was married to his wife's brother, Robert Wallace Burnet. Groesbeck moved with his parents to Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1816. He attended the common schools and Augusta College in Kentucky. He was graduated from Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, in 1835 and was responsible for founding the Miami University chapter of Alpha Delta Phi, the first fraternity chapter west of the Allegheny Mountains. Career He studied law and was a law clerk in the office of Salmon P. Chase (later the Governor of Ohio and Secretary of the Treasury during the Lincoln administration). He was admitted to the bar in 1836 and commenced practice in Cincinnati, Ohio.