Born in Somerset County, New Jersey in 1807, Dayton attended Trenton Academy and graduated from Princeton College with the Class of 1825. He studied law and became a practicing attorney in Freehold, New Jersey. In 1842, Dayton was tapped by Governor William Pennington to fill a vacant U.S. Senate seat, and he was then elected for a full term as a Whig. After a defeat for reelection in 1850, a failed bid for vice president in 1856, and a failed bid for president in 1860, Dayton was appointed U.S. minister to France (1861-1864). While in Paris, Dayton suffered from depression and other physical ailments, and he was unable to stop Napoleon III from invading Mexico. He suffered an untimely death in Paris in 1864.
From the guide to the William L. Dayton Papers, 1791-1897, 1861-1864, (Princeton University. Library. Dept. of Rare Books and Special Collections)
