William Pennington

In November 1858, Pennington was elected as a Republican to represent New Jersey's 5th congressional district in the U.S. House during the 36th Congress. Following a protracted election for speaker of the House of Representatives, 44 ballots over the course of eight weeks (December 5, 1859 through February 1, 1860), he was elected to the post.[1] This was the third time since 1789 that the House elected a freshman congressmen as its speaker (after Frederick Muhlenberg in 1789 and Henry Clay in 1811); such a feat has not been repeated since.[2]

In March 1861 he penned his name on the Corwin Amendment, a proposed amendment to the U.S. Constitution shielding state "domestic institutions" (slavery) from the constitutional amendment process and from abolition or interference by Congress. Submitted to the states for ratification shortly before the outbreak of the Civil War, it was not ratified by the requisite number of states.

After running unsuccessfully for reelection in 1860 to the 37th Congress, he returned to New Jersey. He died in Newark of an unintentional morphine overdose[3] and was interred at Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Newark.