Josiah O. Wolcott
Josiah Oliver Wolcott ( born October 31, 1876 in Dover, Delaware, † November 11, 1938 ibid ) was an American lawyer and politician (Democratic Party), who represented the state of Delaware in the U.S. Senate.
After visiting the Wilmington Conference Academy in his hometown of Dover sat Josiah Wolcott his education at Wesleyan University in Middletown (Connecticut) continued where he made his degree in 1901. He was admitted to the Bar Association of Delaware in 1904 and began to practice as a lawyer in Wilmington.
His first public office took over Wolcott in 1909 as Deputy Attorney General of Delaware. After his election as Attorney General in 1912, he took over this position on January 21, 1913 and remained there until January 16, 1917. At the first election of U.S. Senators by the people, introduced by the 17th Amendment, Wolcott entered for the Democrats; his opponents were Republican incumbent Henry A. du Pont, and former Republican Congressman, Hiram R. Burton, who ran as an Independent. Although meant 49.7 percent absolute majority, but the remaining votes shall be divided du Pont ( 44.8 percent) and Burton (4.6 percent) and the socialist William C. Ferris (1 percent), so Wolcott relative majority for victory was enough.
He retired on March 4, 1917 in the Senate, where he was part of the Democratic majority and was one of the Chairmen of the Committee to monitor the expenditure of the Department of Commerce. Between 1918 and 1919 he worked with in the Overman Committee, an early precursor of the Committee on Un-American Activities, which investigated German and Bolshevik activities. On July 2, 1921 Wolcott resigned after the Presidency at the Court of Chancery of the State ( Court of Chancery ) was him from the Republican governor of Delaware, William Denney, surprisingly been offered. He accepted the appointment as Chancellor of Delaware, where it was suggested that the spiritual father of this action T. Coleman du Pont was, who was appointed by Governor Denney to Wolcott's successor in the Senate.
Wolcott remained until his death in 1938, Chancellor and earned in this post nationwide high reputation. In honor of his contributions Widener University in Chester is awarded the Josiah Oliver Wolcott Fellowship annually at the Law School. The five students, who falls to this prestigious scholarship, thereby given the opportunity, a time limited employees of the Supreme Court or the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware.