{{Short description|American politician}} {{for|the New Zealand athlete|William Stedman (athlete)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2020}} <!-- This article was automatically created by [[User:polbot]] from http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=S000828. The prose may be stilted, and there may be grammatical and Wikification errors. Please improve in any way you see fit. --> {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = | name = William Stedman | honorific_suffix = | image = | alt = | state1 = [[Massachusetts]] | district1 = {{ushr|MA|11|11th}} | term_start1 = March 4, 1803 | term_end1 = July 16, 1810 | predecessor1 = [[Manasseh Cutler (representative)|Manasseh Cutler]] | successor1 = [[Abijah Bigelow]] | birth_date = {{birth date|1765|1|21}} | birth_place = [[Cambridge, Massachusetts|Cambridge]], [[Province of Massachusetts Bay]], [[British America]] | death_date = {{death date and age|1831|8|31|1765|1|21}} | death_place = [[Newburyport, Massachusetts|Newburyport]], [[Massachusetts]], U.S. | spouse = | party = [[Federalist Party|Federalist]] | relations = | children = | alma_mater = [[Harvard University]] | occupation = Lawyer | profession = | signature = | signature_alt = | website = | footnotes = }}

'''William Stedman''' (January 21, 1765 – August 31, 1831) was a [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. representative]] from [[Massachusetts]].

Stedman was born in [[Cambridge, Massachusetts|Cambridge]] in the [[Province of Massachusetts Bay]]. He graduated from [[Harvard University]] in 1784. After this he studied law. He was [[Admission to the bar in the United States|admitted to the bar]] in 1787 and practiced in [[Lancaster, Massachusetts|Lancaster]], [[Charlestown, Massachusetts|Charlestown]], and [[Worcester, Massachusetts|Worcester]]. He was appointed [[Justice of the Peace]] in 1790. He served as [[town clerk]] of Lancaster 1795-1800. He was a member of the [[Massachusetts House of Representatives]] in 1802. He served as executive [[chancellor]] of Lancaster from 1803 to 1807.

Stedman was elected as a [[Federalist Party (United States)|Federalist]] to the [[8th United States Congress|Eighth Congress]]. He was elected from the [[Massachusetts's 11th congressional district]]. The district he represented had been drawn in the redistricting following the 1800 census. It essentially covered the area of Worcester and northward to the [[New Hampshire]] border.<ref>The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in Congress, pp. 76-77.</ref> Stedman was reelected to three succeeding Congresses and served from March 4, 1803, until his resignation July 16, 1810. He served as clerk of Worcester County Courts 1810-1816. Stedman was elected a member of the [[American Antiquarian Society]] in 1813,<ref>[http://www.americanantiquarian.org/memberlist American Antiquarian Society Members Directory]</ref> and also served on its board of councilors from 1815 to 1816.<ref>Dunbar, B. (1987). ''Members and Officers of the American Antiquarian Society''. Worcester: American Antiquarian Society.</ref> Later in life moved to [[Newburyport, Massachusetts]], where he died August 31, 1831. He was interred in Old Hill Burying Ground.

William Stedman married Almy Ellery (Feb 14, 1759 - December 25, 1839). She was a sister of Elizabeth Ellery, who married Hon. [[Francis Dana]], and also of Lucy Ellery who married William Channing (parents of [[William Ellery Channing]], a founder of the [[American Unitarian Association|Unitarian Church]].)

==Sources== {{CongBio|S000828}}

==References== {{reflist}}

{{s-start}} {{s-par|us-hs}} {{US House succession box | state=Massachusetts | district=11 | before=[[Manasseh Cutler]] | after=[[Abijah Bigelow]] | years=1803–1810 }} {{s-end}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Stedman, William}} [[Category:1765 births]] [[Category:1831 deaths]] [[Category:Harvard University alumni]] [[Category:Members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives]] [[Category:Politicians from Cambridge, Massachusetts]] [[Category:Massachusetts lawyers]] [[Category:Politicians from Newburyport, Massachusetts]] [[Category:Federalist Party United States representatives from Massachusetts]] [[Category:Lawyers from Cambridge, Massachusetts]] [[Category:People from colonial Massachusetts]] [[Category:Burials at Old Hill Burying Ground]] [[Category:19th-century American lawyers]] [[Category:19th-century United States representatives]]