Identifier: newyorkstatesprov2harr (find matches)
Title: New York State's prominent and progressive men : an encyclopaedia of contemporaneous biography
Year: 1900 (1900s)
Authors: Harrison, Mitchell Charles, 1870-
Subjects: Civic leaders
Publisher: (New York) : New York Tribune
Contributing Library: Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center
Digitizing Sponsor: Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center

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such a family withthat of Barron, which furnished the colonel of that name inthe Revolution, and we may expect the resulting generation tobe worthy of its forebears on both sides. William Watson Niles, fourth son of William and ReliefBarron Niles, was born at West Fairlee, Vermont, on March26, 1822. He was educated at Thetford Academy, BradfordAcademy, Newbury Seminary, and Dartmouth College, where hewas graduated B. A. in 1845. Thereafter he studied at the In-diana Medical College, and was assistant to the professor ofchemistry therein. His early years were given to farming,teaching a New Hampshire district school, teaching navigation,etc., at South Yarmouth, Massachusetts, the principalship of aseminary, helping to build the first railroad west of Detroit, andfinally beginning the practice of law in Indiana. Truly a variedand arduous career, marked with determination and success, andforetokening high achievements further on. After some law practice in Indiana, Mr. Niles came to New
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WILLIAM WATSON NILES 255 York and entered the same profession here. That was at a timewhen there were giants at the bar, such as David B. Ogden,Charles OConor, James Sandford, and James T. Brady. Amongthem, alone and without patronage or acquaintance, he beganhis work, and won his way to an honorable rank. He was ad-mitted to practice in the Supreme Court of the United States onmotion of Attorney-General Cushing, and was engaged in almostevery branch of legal practice, often in cases of the highest im-portance. Among his associates were the eminent lawyersalready named and others of equal rank, and he was at timesarrayed against them, and also against Daniel Webster, John P.Hale, Matthew Carpenter, and other famous advocates. At thesame time he had other business interests, including real-estateoperations in a dozen States from New York to California,cattle-raising in Indiana, and orange-growing in Florida. In politics Mr. Niles began as a Jacksonian Democrat, thenbecame a strong anti

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