William Collins

Who was William Collins?

William Collins was a United States Representative from New York.

Collins was born in Lowville on February 22, 1818, and was the son of Congressman Ela Collins and Maria Clinton Collins.

He studied law with his father, was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Lowville. He served as district attorney for Lewis County from March 1845 until March 1847, when he resigned because he had been elected as a Democrat to the Thirtieth Congress. He declined to be a candidate for renomination in 1848.

In November of 1847, William Collins married Jane Kelley; they had seven children.

Collins moved to Cleveland, Ohio in 1853 and continued the practice of law, and also engaged in banking and business. He served as a director of the Lake Shore Railroad and East Cleveland Railroad. He affiliated with the Republican Party upon its organization in 1856, and died in Cleveland on June 18, 1878. His interment was in Lake View Cemetery.