William Crowninshield Endicott

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**William Crowninshield Endicott**
37th United States Secretary of War

In office
March 5, 1885 – March 4, 1889
Preceded by	Robert Todd Lincoln
Succeeded by	Redfield Proctor
Born	November 19, 1826 Salem, Massachusetts, USA
Died	May 6, 1900 Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Ellen Peabody
Profession	Lawyer

William Crowninshield Endicott (November 19, 1826–May 6, 1900) Endicott was an American politician and Secretary of War in the Administration of President Grover Cleveland.

[edit] Life and work

William Crowinshield Endicott, son of William P. and Mary (Putnam) Endicott, was born in Salem, Massachusetts. He was graduated from Harvard University in 1847 and attended Harvard Law School in 1849-1850 in prior to admission to the Massachusetts bar in 1850. He married Ellen Peabody, daughter of George and Clarissa (Endicott) Peabody of Salem on December 13, 1859 in Salem, Massachusetts. Her grandfather was the distinguished Salem shipowner, Joseph Peabody, who made a fortune importing pepper from Sumatra and was one of the wealthiest men in the United States at the time of his death in 1844. They had two children.

Following an unsuccessful run for Congress in 1879, Endicott served on the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court until 1882. After an unsuccessful gubernatorial race in 1884, he was appointed Secretary of War. He served in that capacity in the administration of Grover Cleveland between 1885 and 1889. Endicott oversaw many important changes in the organization of the United States Army, including the establishment of a system of examinations to determine the promotion of officers.

Endicott chaired the Endicott Board of Fortifications which would provide the models for the generation of American coastal defense fortifications constructed in the era of the Spanish-American War, the Endicott Period Fortifications.

William Crowninshield Endicott died in Boston, Massachusetts. He is buried with his wife in the Endicott Lot (1554) at Harmony Grove Cemetery in Salem, Massachusetts.

[edit] Family

His daughter, Mary Crowninshield Endicott married first the British statesman Joseph Chamberlain in 1888 and second the Anglican clergyman William Hartley Carnegie in 1916.