William Beach was born on December 9, 1809, at Saratoga Springs, New York, the son of Miles and Cynthia (Warren) Beach. He was a descendant of Thomas Beach, the youngest of three brothers who came to New Haven from England in the ship Elizabeth and Anna in June 1638 and settled at Milford, Connecticut.
William Beach received his education at Saratoga Springs, New York, and at Partridge's Military Institute, Norwich, Vermont, after which he entered the office of his uncle, Judge Warren, studying law under the direct supervision of the latter.
William Beach was admitted to the bar in August 1833 and opened an office at Saratoga Springs. His father was influential, and the son soon acquired a good connection in the community. Saratoga Springs was then one of the legal centers of the state and Beach became known as a successful advocate and a tireless worker. He was appointed district attorney for Saratoga County, September 11, 1843, and held this office till June 1847, acquiring an intimate knowledge of criminal law and a wide reputation for impressive oratory. In 1851 he moved to Troy, where he obtained a large practise, being particularly effective in jury cases. His fame extended beyond his own county and in 1865 he was retained to defend Col. North before a military commission in Washington on a charge of tampering with the soldiers' votes at the 1864 presidential election. Contrary to all expectations he persuaded the commission that they had no jurisdiction. This was probably the greatest purely forensic feat of his career.
Beach also became associated with the Vanderbilt interests and appeared with C. A. Rapallo on behalf of Commodore Vanderbilt in the Erie Railroad litigation - "the Five Million Dollar Suit" - so impressing his client that, on the elevation of Rapallo to the bench in 1870, Beach was given a general retainer by the Commodore and removed to New York City. For the next fourteen years he appeared as counsel in almost all the causes célèbres of the period. In 1872 he was leading counsel for Judge G. G. Barnard, impeached on charges of judicial corruption by the state Assembly before the Senate and court of appeals sitting at Saratoga Springs as a court of impeachment, and though Barnard was convicted, the ability of the defense was universally recognized. One of his few conspicuous failures was in the Tilton-Beecher case, where he was leading counsel for the plaintiff. His final speech here occupied thirteen days whereas "he could have said all that should have been said in a day and with much better effect. " He appeared for the defense in most of the notorious murder cases of his period in New York, his particular genius being perhaps more happily exhibited in this class of contest than on the civil side of the courts.
William Beach died on June 28, 1884 in Tarrytown, Westchester, New York.
Beach excelled as a mere orator. His command of language was wonderful, his sentences exquisitely modeled, his gestures graceful, and his voice musical. He had, however, grave defects, chief of which was a complete lack of humor. His efforts were often marred by outbursts of invective and aggressive displays, symptomatic of his want of tact and control. His intellectual horizon was not extensive, he was a very weak cross-examiner, and his knowledge of the law, though varied, was never profound.
Beach had no interests outside his profession. His own remark that he had always been a wide reader of worthless literature probably accurately expressed the depth of his general culture. In physical appearance he was tall, athletic, and handsome. He had one of the coldest, most impassive and sphinxlike countenances that I ever beheld. His bearing and dress were impressive. There was a gravity about him, a kind of noli me tangere characteristic that forbade anything like familiarity. .. . He invariably wore a double-breasted coat tightly buttoned and there was a sort of military erectness and precision about him which attracted attention and rendered him conspicuous.
William Beach was married to Ann Eliza Porter on June 14, 1832 in Greenfield.
