William Hunter (Senator)

William Hunter (* November 26, 1774 in Newport, Rhode Iceland, † December 3, 1849 ibid ) was an American politician who represented the state of Rhode Iceland in the U.S. Senate.

William Hunter visited the Rogers School in his hometown of Newport and then enter the College of Rhode Iceland and Providence Plantations, today Brown University, in Providence. There he made his degree in 1791. In the same year he went to England to study medicine; but after his arrival, he changed his intentions and trained to become lawyers at the Inner Temple in London. In 1793 he returned to Newport and practiced there as a lawyer.

From 1799 Hunter was also politically active. He moved in the House of Representatives of Rhode Iceland and remained there until 1812. Yet during this time he was due to the resignation of U.S. Senator Christopher G. Champlin, elected as his successor in Congress. He took his seat in Washington as a Federalist from the October 28, 1811 true and remained there after confirmation by the Parliament of his country until March 3, 1821. During this time he was 1815-1817 before the Trade Committee.

Following Hunter returned to Rhode Iceland and spent 1823 to 1825 a further term in the state legislature. He took in Newport his legal practice on, before he was appointed in 1834 by President Andrew Jackson to the American chargé d'affaires ( charge d'affaires ) in Brazil. Later he was promoted to Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, fulfilling virtually the tasks of an ambassador.

Hunter left Brazil in 1845 and settled again in Newport, where he died four years later. He was buried in the Trinity Church graveyard. His house in Newport, the Hunter House, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1968 and has since become a National Historic Landmark.