William Henry Law was born on September 11, 1803, in
New London, Connecticut, as the third son of Elizabeth (née Learned) and
Lyman Law. His paternal grandfather was
Richard Law and his great-grandfather was
Jonathan Law. His maternal grandfather was
Amasa Learned. His brother was
John Law. He graduated from
Yale College in 1822. He studied law with his father in New London and was admitted to the bar in 1826. ==Career==