William Collins (New York politician)

William Collins was an American lawyer and politician who served one term as a United States representative from New York from 1847 to 1849.

Biography

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

Congress

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

Later career and death

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.