Representative Charles Grenfill Washburn

Charles Grenfill Washburn (January 28, 1857 – May 25, 1928) was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts who served three terms in Congress between 1905 and 1911. Over the course of his public career, he was active in state and national politics, contributed to the revision of Massachusetts corporation laws, and later held significant positions in banking and manufacturing.

Washburn was born in Worcester, Massachusetts, on January 28, 1857. He was raised in the city that would remain the center of his professional and political life. He pursued technical and liberal education in succession, graduating from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in 1875 and from Harvard University in 1880. After completing his undergraduate studies, he turned to the law, undertaking legal training that prepared him for admission to the bar and for subsequent involvement in both legal and business affairs.

Following his formal education, Washburn studied law and was admitted to the Suffolk bar in 1887. Alongside his legal work, he became connected with various manufacturing enterprises in Worcester, reflecting the city’s growing industrial base in the late nineteenth century. His engagement with manufacturing and corporate affairs helped shape his later legislative interests, particularly in the area of corporation law and economic regulation, and established him as a figure of influence in Worcester’s business community.

Washburn’s political career began at the state level in Massachusetts. He was elected a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives and later served in the Massachusetts Senate, gaining experience in legislative procedure and public policy. In 1902 he served as a member of the committee to revise the State corporation laws, a role that drew on his legal training and business background and placed him at the center of important reforms in corporate governance and regulation in Massachusetts.

On the national stage, Washburn was active in Republican Party affairs. He was a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1904, participating in the party’s deliberations at a time of significant national political realignment. His prominence within the party and his record in state government contributed to his selection as the Republican candidate to fill a vacancy in the United States House of Representatives created by the death of Rockwood Hoar.

Washburn was elected as a Republican to the Fifty-ninth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by Hoar’s death and took his seat on December 18, 1906. He was subsequently reelected to the Sixtieth and Sixty-first Congresses, serving continuously from December 18, 1906, to March 3, 1911. During this period, which encompassed a significant era in American history marked by progressive reforms and expanding federal authority, he contributed to the legislative process and represented the interests of his Massachusetts constituents in the House of Representatives. His service in Congress, from 1905 to 1911 as reflected in his three terms in office, placed him among the Republican lawmakers engaged in the national debates of the early twentieth century. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection to the Sixty-second Congress.

After leaving Congress, Washburn continued to play a role in public and economic life. He served as a director of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, participating in the governance of the regional branch of the nation’s central banking system during its formative years. In the private sector, he became president of the Washburn Co. of Worcester, a position he held until his death. He remained involved in Republican politics as well, returning as a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1916, thereby maintaining his connection to national party affairs.

Charles Grenfill Washburn died in Lenox, Massachusetts, on May 25, 1928, while still serving as president of the Washburn Co. His body was returned to his native city for burial, and he was interred in Rural Cemetery in Worcester. His career spanned law, manufacturing, state and national legislation, and financial administration, reflecting the intertwined development of industry, politics, and banking in the United States during his lifetime.