Governor of Massachusetts

(1847-1900) Born in Boston, Mass., he was descended from Connecticut Founding Father Oliver Wolcott, and his older brother was killed in the Civil War. He graduated from Harvard in 1870, attended Harvard Law School, graduated in 1874, and was admitted to the Suffolk County bar the same year. Wolcott opened a law office in Boston in 1875. He won a seat on the Boston Common Council in 1877, a position which he held for three years. He served as a member of the Massachusetts State Legislature from 1881–1884, and was offered the Republican Party nomination for Mayor of Boston in 1885, but refused on account of his father's poor health. Wolcott cared for his father until his death in 1891. He served as the Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts from 1893-97, and Governor of Massachusetts from 1897-1900. When the Spanish–American War broke out in 1898, Wolcott immediately put Massachusetts on a war footing, securing legislative authorization for military expenditures in just 25 minutes. The state was one of the first to supply militia troops to the war effort. In 1899, Wolcott decided not to run for reelection, and was offered a variety of diplomatic posts by President William McKinley, but refused them, and embarked on a trip to Europe with his family in May 1900. After his return he campaigned for Republicans in the 1900 elections. He fell ill with typhoid fever in mid-November, and died in Boston on December 21, 1900.

Antique photogravure, 2/3 standing view with one hand posed on top of an open book. Copyright, 1900, by E.C. Chickering. Published by A.W. Elson & Co., Boston. Printed facsimile autograph below his likeness and the imprint below, "Engraved for The Colonial Society of Massachusetts from a portrait from life." 4 x 6 5/8, tipped to an album page with hand drawn black ink borders. Overall page size is 6 x 9 1/4. Excellent portrait.