page_title: William S. Hillyer
section_title: Political life
hierarchical_section_title: William S. Hillyer / Political life
caption_attribution_description: English: William S. Hillyer photo, taken from the Library of Congress
context_page_description: William Sillman Hillyer was an American lawyer and soldier who advanced through the ranks to Brevet Brigadier General during the American Civil War. Before the war he practiced law in St. Louis where he met Ulysses S. Grant. During most of the Civil War he served under General Grant and was with him at the Battle of Fort Donelson, Battle of Shiloh and the Siege of Vicksburg. Hillyer was chosen by General Grant to be a member of his staff, and was one of its original members and the last surviving member. After the war he served as a Treasury agent under presidents Johnson and Grant. He later pursued a political career in New York but was unsuccessful due to opposition from various political rivals.
context_section_description: In 1868 Hillyer was appointed a U.S. revenue agent by President Andrew Johnson until the position was abolished by Congress, after which he served as a lawyer for the Commissioners of Immigration. Hillyer was nominated in 1871 as a candidate for president of the New York Board of Commissioners, for general appraiser of cargo and goods at the New York Customs House, and for naval officer, but Senator Roscoe Conkling opposed his nomination.
caption: William Hillyer in later years
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