William Webster

William Webster
 			
U.S. Representative from Vermont 			
Term: March 4, 1793 - November 3, 1796 			
Preceded By: Isaac Tichenor 			
Succeeded By: Nathaniel Chipman 			
U.S. Representative from New York 			
Term: March 4, 1791 - March 4, 1793 			
Preceded By: John Hathorn 			
Succeeded By: Peter Van Gaasbeck 			
Personal Details 			
Born: June 8, 1749 			
Death: November 3, 1796 (57) 			
State: Vermont 			
Party: Party for Democracy 			
Spouse: Louisa Allen 			
Children: Jerome / Laila 			
Family: Webster 			
Alma Mater: N/A 			
Military Service 			
Allegiance: Vermont / United States 			
Branch/Service: Green Mountain Boys / US Military			
Years of Service: 1774-1796 			
Rank: Second Lieutenant 			
Battles/Wars:
American Revolutionary War:
*Capture of Fort Ticonderoga			
William Allen Webster was a United States Representative, representing Vermont. William was also a Revolutionary War Soldier, and a freedman following his release from slavery in 1774 by a northern abolitionist group.
==Military Service==
In 1774 Webster was purchased by a group of northern abolitionists, and was released into freedom. Webster would for a few months be aimless, but would join with Ethan Allen's rebel group known as the Green Mountain Boys. Webster would serve in the Capture of Fort Ticonderoga, but afterwards would remain as a guard for the remainder of the war.
==Political Career==
In 1789, Webster would become a figurehead of an abolitionist group, one where they advocated for equal rights. In 1790 Webster would win election as a Representative from New York in the Vermont area. William Webster was the first ever Black Representative, and he would be a figurehead showing that they could be civil. In 1791 when Vermont was added as a state, Webster considered switching to that district, but instead decided to finish his term as a New York Representative. 
In 1792 Webster would run for a Representative seat in Vermont, winning easily. Going into 3rd United States Congress, 2 term Speaker Gerald Smith was stepping down from his position, and one Jonathan Banks Jr. from North Carolina stepped into the role from the Freedom Party, which was a southern oriented early libertarian party. One which, hypocritically, supported slavery and racism. On August 19, 1793 among calls from Webster and others to remove the Speaker from his position for improper conduct, the vote would pass, and Henry Whittleston would be elected Speaker of the House. 2 days later Banks and John C. Covington would organize the Secession of North and South Carolina from the United States, causing the First American Civil War.
==Personal Life==
On June 8, 1749 one William Webster was born a slave of James Madison Sr., the father of James Madison, in Virginia. Webster was the son of Rachel Webster, and while the father is unknown, many believe it to have been James Madison Sr. himself. Webster would undergo years of back breaking labor, but in 1774 a group of abolitionists bought Webster, bringing him north to New York, where he was released at the age of 25. Webster would go onto serve in the military during the Revolutionary War, and would become a guard in a fort near Burlington. 
In 1775 Webster would meet a local enslaved woman, Louisa Allen, though he hadn't much, Webster was able to purchase her freedom, and in early 1776 they married. Louisa would give birth to Jerome Webster in 1777, and later in 1780 she would give birth to Laila. 
*Jerome Webster (Born: January 19, 1777)
*Laila Webster (Born: July 4, 1780)
William would be lynched by a mob summoned by Governor of New Hampshire Amon Gus. His legacy as the first Black Representative outlasted him, but so did the backlash, and it would be a long while before the next black representative was elected.