William Graves Sharp


William Graves Sharp was an American lawyer, manufacturer, three-term congressman, and diplomat.

Biography

Sharp was born in Mount Gilead, Ohio on March 14, 1859.
He graduated LL.B. from the Law Department of the University of Michigan in 1881 and then practiced law in Elyria, Ohio. He also engaged in the manufacture of charcoal, pig iron, and chemicals. From 1885-88 he was prosecuting attorney of Lorain County, Ohio.
He was a Democratic presidential elector in 1892, a Democratic candidate for Congress in 1900, and a member of the Sixty-first to the Sixty-third Congresses, but resigned in 1914 to become Ambassador to France by appointment of President Wilson. He served until April 14, 1919, then returned to Elyria, Ohio, and engaged in literary pursuits.
He died on November 17, 1922 in Elyria, Ohio. Interment in Ridgelawn Cemetery.