Born near Farmville in Prince Edward County, Virginia, Tredway completed preparatory studies.
He was graduated from Hampden-Sydney College, Prince Edward County, Virginia, in 1827.
A conditional Unionist, he voted against secession on April 4 and for secession on April 17 following Lincoln's call for state militia to restore seized Federal property.
[7] William Marshall Tredway died on May 1, 1891, in Chatham, Virginia.
[8] This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress