William Elliott (American politician)
William Elliott (September 3, 1838 – December 7, 1907) was an American attorney and politician, serving as U.S. Representative from South Carolina. Biography Born in Beaufort, South Carolina, Elliott attended Beaufort College and Harvard University. He studied law at the University of Virginia at Charlottesville, and was admitted to the bar in Charleston in 1861. Upon the outbreak of the Civil War he entered the Confederate States Army as a lieutenant. He served throughout the war, attaining the rank of lieutenant colonel. At the close of the war, he returned to Beaufort, where he developed a law practice. Elliott became involved in politics, serving as a member of the State house of representatives in 1866. He served as delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1876. He was an unsuccessful Democratic candidate for election in 1884 to the Forty-ninth Congress. Elliott was elected as a Democrat to the Fiftieth Congress (March 4, 1887 – March 3, 1889) from South Carolina's 7th congressional district, but the election was contested by Thomas E. Miller. An African-American Republican candidate, Miller alleged electoral fraud, which was prevalent in these years as Democrats struggled to retain control of government. Elliott presented credentials as a Member-elect