William F. Vilas

William F. Vilas
United States Senator from Wisconsin
In office March 4, 1891 – March 3, 1897
Preceded by	John Coit Spooner
Succeeded by	John Coit Spooner
17th United States Secretary of the Interior
In office January 16, 1888 – March 6, 1889
President	Grover Cleveland Benjamin Harrison
Preceded by	Lucius Lamar
Succeeded by	John Willock Noble
33rd United States Postmaster General
In office March 6, 1885 – January 6, 1888
President	Grover Cleveland
Preceded by	Frank Hatton
Succeeded by	Donald M. Dickinson
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the Dane 1st district
In office January 5, 1885 – March 9, 1885
Preceded by	Dexter Curtis
Succeeded by	Michael J. Cantwell
Personal details
Born	William Freeman Vilas (1840-07-09)July 9, 1840 Chelsea, Vermont, U.S.
Died	August 27, 1908(1908-08-27) (aged 68) Madison, Wisconsin, U.S.
Resting place	Forest Hill Cemetery Madison, Wisconsin, U.S.
Political party	Democratic National Democratic (1896)
Spouse	Anna M. Fox ​ (m. 1866⁠–⁠1908)​
Children	Cornelia Vilas (b. 1867; died 1893) Henry Vilas (b. 1872; died 1899) Mary Esther (Hanks) (b. 1873; died 1959)
Parent	Levi Baker Vilas (father)
Education	University of Wisconsin, Madison (BA) Albany Law School (LLB)
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Volunteers Union Army
Years of service	1862–1863
Rank	Lieutenant Colonel, USV
Unit	23rd Reg. Wis. Vol. Infantry
Battles/wars	American Civil War Vicksburg campaign

William Freeman Vilas (July 9, 1840 – August 27, 1908) was an American lawyer, politician, and United States Senator. In the U.S. Senate, he represented the state of Wisconsin for one term, from 1891 to 1897.^[1] As a prominent Bourbon Democrat, he was also a member of the cabinet of U.S. President Grover Cleveland, serving as the 33rd Postmaster General and the 17th Secretary of the Interior.

He was a major donor to the University of Wisconsin, leaving $30,000,000 to the school at his death in 1908. He is the namesake of Vilas Hall on the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus, as well as Vilas County, Wisconsin, and the towns of Vilas, Colorado, and Vilas, South Dakota.^[2]