William Cumback (March 24, 1829 – July 31, 1905) was an American lawyer and Civil War veteran who served one term as a U.S. Representative from Indiana from 1855 to 1857.

Biography

Born near Mount Carmel, Indiana, Cumback attended the common schools and was graduated from Miami University, Oxford, Ohio. He taught school two years. He studied law at the Cincinnati Law School. He was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Greensburg, Indiana, in 1853.

Congress

Cumback was elected as an Indiana People's Party candidate to the Thirty-fourth Congress (March 4, 1855 – March 3, 1857). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1856, and thereafter resumed practicing law.

Civil War

He was appointed a paymaster in the Army and served throughout the Civil War. He served as member of the State senate in 1866. The 16th Lieutenant Governor of Indiana in 1868.

Later career and death

He was an unsuccessful candidate for election to the United States Senate in 1869. President U.S. Grant nominated Cumback as the U.S. Minister to Portugal in 1870 but he declined the appointment. He served as a United States revenue collector from 1871 to 1883. He also served as a trustee of DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. He was an unsuccessful candidate for nomination for governor in 1896. He died in Greensburg, Indiana, July 31, 1905. He was interred in South Park Cemetery.

Legacy

William Cumback is the namesake of the community of Cumback, Indiana.

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