William Halsted Wiley

William Halsted Wiley (July 10, 1842 – May 2, 1925) was an American Republican Party politician, Civil War officer, engineer, and publisher who represented New Jersey’s 8th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1903 to 1907 and from 1909 to 1911. He was also a co‑founder and later president of the publishing firm John Wiley & Sons, which became a leading American publisher of scientific and technical works.

Wiley was born in New York City on July 10, 1842. He was educated in the city’s public schools and graduated from the College of the City of New York in 1861. Even before completing his degree, he entered military service in 1860 as a member of the Seventh New York Volunteers in the Union Army at the outset of the Civil War. He was promoted to first lieutenant of Volunteers in 1862 and later served in artillery commands. Wiley was mustered out in 1864 with the rank of brevet major upon the consolidation of his regiment, concluding four years of active wartime service.

Following the Civil War, Wiley pursued technical and scientific education. He enrolled at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, where he studied engineering and became one of the first members of the Alpha chapter of the Theta Xi fraternity. He maintained an active association with Theta Xi for approximately sixty years. After graduating from Rensselaer with a degree in engineering, he continued his studies at the Columbia College School of Mines in 1868. Wiley then engaged in civil engineering and served for several years as superintendent of a mine, gaining practical experience in industrial and technical fields that would later inform both his public service and publishing career.

Wiley’s professional and civic activities extended into local government and international expositions. Settling in East Orange, New Jersey, he became a member of the township committee from 1886 to 1888 and served as its president for one year. He was active in public affairs beyond his municipality, serving as president of one of the juries at the International Exposition in Brussels and as a member of the superior jury. He was also appointed by the Governor of New Jersey as a member of the state commission for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition held in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1904, reflecting his growing prominence in both technical and civic circles.

In 1876, Wiley entered the publishing business with his father and brother, co‑founding the firm of John Wiley & Sons in New York City. The family company initially published works by prominent American authors such as James Fenimore Cooper, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Herman Melville, and Edgar Allan Poe. As Wiley assumed greater responsibility and ultimately the presidency of the firm, he redirected its focus by phasing out publishing programs not concerned with science and technology. Under his leadership, John Wiley & Sons developed into America’s premier publisher of scientific and technical books. By 1895, the company had become a worldwide organization, distributing American scientific knowledge internationally and establishing a lasting presence in professional and academic publishing.

Wiley was first elected as a Republican to the Fifty‑eighth Congress as the representative for New Jersey’s 8th congressional district and was re‑elected to the Fifty‑ninth Congress, serving from March 4, 1903, to March 4, 1907. His service in Congress occurred during a significant period in American history marked by industrial expansion and Progressive Era reforms. As a member of the House of Representatives, William Halsted Wiley participated in the legislative process, represented the interests of his New Jersey constituents, and contributed to the broader democratic governance of the nation. He was an unsuccessful candidate for re‑election in 1906, but returned to national office when he was elected to the Sixty‑first Congress, serving from March 4, 1909, to March 4, 1911. After another unsuccessful bid for re‑election in 1910, his congressional service concluded after three terms in the House.

Following his final term in Congress, Wiley resumed his work in the publishing industry, continuing his association with John Wiley & Sons in New York City and furthering the firm’s role in disseminating scientific and technical literature. He remained a respected figure in both business and civic life in New Jersey and New York. William Halsted Wiley died in East Orange, New Jersey, on May 2, 1925, closing a career that spanned military service, engineering, local and national public office, and leadership in American scientific publishing.