William Maxwell Evarts (February 6, 1818–February 28, 1901) was an American lawyer and statesman. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the son of author, editor, and philanthropist Jeremiah Evarts and the grandson of Declaration of Independence signer Roger Sherman.

William attended Boston Latin School, graduated from Yale University in 1837, where he was a member of Skull and Bones. He was admitted to the bar in New York in 1841, and soon took high rank in his profession.

In 1860 he was chairman of the New York delegation to the Republican National Convention. In 1861 he was an unsuccessful candidate for the United States Senate from New York. He was chief counsel for President Andrew Johnson during the impeachment trial, and from July 1868 until March 1869 he was Attorney General of the United States. In 1872 he was counsel for the United States before the tribunal of arbitration on the Alabama claims at Geneva, Switzerland. During President Rutherford B. Hayes' administration he was United States Secretary of State.

From 1885 to 1891 he was a U.S. Senator from New York. While in Congress (50th and 51st) he served as chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on the Library. As an orator Senator Evarts stood in the foremost rank, and some of his best speeches were published.

He led the American fund-raising effort for the pedestal for the Statue of Liberty and spoke at its unveiling on October 28, 1886.

He died in New York and was buried at Ascutney Cemetery in Windsor, Vermont.

William Evarts was the great-grandfather of Archibald Cox who served as a special prosecutor during the Watergate Scandal.

External link

• Family tree of William Maxwell Evarts

|- style="text-align: center;" | width="30%" |Preceded by:
Hamilton Fish | width="40%" style="text-align: center;" |United States Secretary of State
March 12, 1877 – March 7, 1881 | width="30%" |Succeeded by:
James G. Blaine