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William Courtney Wetmore
Gender:
Male
Born:
October 12, 1796
Died:
March 22, 1880
Home Town:
Stratford, CT
Later Residences:
New York, NY
Marriage(s):
Elizabeth Lovejoy Wetmore (unknown)
Biographical Notes:
William Courtney Wetmore was the son of prosperous New York City merchant Victory Wetmore and his wife Catharine (or Katherine) Maria McEwen.
After attending the Law School, he moved, in 1818, to New York City where he joined the law firm of Brackett & Clark, eventually becoming a partner. Wetmore specialized in real estate law and the administration of trusts. In 1848, he became the legal partner of Richard Browne. He refused all offers of public positions, except for the position of President of the Board of Commissioners of Central Park which he accepted three years before his death.
Wetmore was involved in the formation of the Harlem Railroad and became the company's Director.
Wetmore lived in New York City until 1868, when he moved his family to Fordham, NY. He and his wife had four sons and two daughters.
After attending the Law School, he moved, in 1818, to New York City where he joined the law firm of Brackett & Clark, eventually becoming a partner. Wetmore specialized in real estate law and the administration of trusts. In 1848, he became the legal partner of Richard Browne. He refused all offers of public positions, except for the position of President of the Board of Commissioners of Central Park which he accepted three years before his death.
Wetmore was involved in the formation of the Harlem Railroad and became the company's Director.
Wetmore lived in New York City until 1868, when he moved his family to Fordham, NY. He and his wife had four sons and two daughters.
Education
Years at LLS:
1815,1817
Other Education:
Was prepared for college by Hezekiah G. Ufford and graduated from Yale College in 1815.
Profession / Service
Profession:
Lawyer; Political Office
Training with Other Lawyers:
He studied in the firm of Brackett and Clark in New York, NY before becoming a partner.
Local Posts:
President of the Board of Commissioners of Central Park (New York, NY) 1877-1880
Immediate Family (Why only immediate family?)
- Elizabeth Lovejoy Wetmore
Wife - Catherine McEwen Wetmore
Mother - Victory Wetmore
Father
Related Objects and Documents
Other:
The Citation of Attendance provides primary source documentation of the student’s attendance at the Litchfield Female Academy and/or the Litchfield Law School. If a citation is absent, the student is thought to have attended but currently lacks primary source confirmation. Records for the schools were sporadic, especially in the formative years of both institutions. If instructors kept comprehensive records for the Litchfield Female Academy or the Litchfield Law School, they do not survive. Researchers and staff have identified students through letters, diaries, family histories and genealogies, and town histories as well as catalogues of students printed in various years. Art and needlework have provided further identification of Female Academy Students, and Litchfield County Bar records document a number of Law School students. The history of both schools and the identification of the students who attended them owe credit to the early 20th century research and documentation efforts of Emily Noyes Vanderpoel and Samuel Fisher, and the late 20th century research and documentation efforts of Lynne Templeton Brickley and the Litchfield Historical Society staff.
CITATION OF ATTENDANCE:
Handwritten list by William Samuel Johnson, Catalogue of the Students at Law in the school at Litchfield Conn. at & after Aug. 15th 1817, Connecticut Historical Society, Johnson Family Papers, 1722-1863, Box - Johnson Papers.
Catalogue of the Litchfield Law School, Hartford, CT: Press of Case, Tiffany and Company, 1849.
Catalogue of the Litchfield Law School, Hartford, CT: Press of Case, Tiffany and Company, 1849.
Secondary Sources:
Dexter, Franklin Bowditch. Biographical Sketches of the Graduates of Yale College with Annals of College History, Vol. 6. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1912.
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