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Fletcher D. Proctor

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American politician

Fletcher D. Proctor
51st Governor of Vermont
In office
October 4, 1906 – October 8, 1908
LieutenantGeorge H. Prouty
Preceded byCharles J. Bell
Succeeded byGeorge H. Prouty
Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives
In office
1900–1902
Preceded byKittredge Haskins
Succeeded byJohn H. Merrifield
Member of the Vermont Senate
In office
1892–1894Serving with John A. Mead, John G. Pitkin, Araunuh W. Hyde
Preceded byLevi G. Kingsley, Albert J. Dickinson, Cyrus Jennings, Simon L. Peck
Succeeded byFrank D. White, Ira R. Allen, Amos D. Tiffany, Noah S. Walker
ConstituencyRutland County
Member of the Vermont House of Representatives from Proctor
In office
1904–1906
Preceded byGeorge Herschel Davis
Succeeded byJohn C. Cameron
In office
1900–1902
Preceded byWilbur E. Higbee
Succeeded byGeorge Herschel Davis
In office
1890–1892
Preceded byRedfield Proctor
Succeeded byBenjamin F. Taylor
Personal details
BornFletcher Dutton Proctor
November 7, 1860
Cavendish, Vermont, US
DiedSeptember 27, 1911(1911-09-27) (aged 50)
Proctor, Vermont, US
Resting placeSouth Street Cemetery, Proctor, Vermont
Political partyRepublican
SpouseMinnie Robinson Proctor (1865–1928)
RelationsRedfield Proctor Jr. (brother)
Children3, including Mortimer R. Proctor
Parent(s)Redfield Proctor
Emily Dutton
Education
ProfessionExecutive, Vermont Marble Company
Signature
Military service
AllegianceUnited States
Vermont
Branch/serviceVermont National Guard
Years of service1884–1887
RankFirst lieutenant
Unit1st Infantry Regiment, Vermont National Guard

Fletcher Dutton Proctor (November 7, 1860 – September 27, 1911) was an American businessman, a Republican politician, and the 51st governor of Vermont, who served from 1906 to 1908.

Personal life

Proctor was born in Cavendish, Vermont, on November 7, 1860, the son of Vermont Governor Redfield Proctor and brother of Governor Redfield Proctor Jr. He was raised in Proctor, attended Middlebury College, and graduated from Amherst College in 1882. He received honorary degrees from the University of Vermont in 1907, Middlebury College in 1908, and Norwich University in 1908.

He married Minnie E. Robinson on May 26, 1886, and they had three children, Emily Proctor, Mortimer R. Proctor (who later served as governor), and Minnie Proctor.

Career

Proctor was employed at his family's business, Vermont Marble, becoming President in 1889. He also served as President of the Clarendon & Pittsford Railroad and the Proctor Trust Company.

In 1883, Proctor was elected head of the Vermont division of the Sons of Veterans with the honorary rank of colonel, and he was often addressed by that title in contemporary newspaper accounts. Proctor enlisted in the Vermont National Guard's Company A, 1st Infantry Regiment in 1884 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant. He was promoted to first lieutenant and inspector of rifle practice on the regimental staff before resigning in 1887.

Proctor served in several local offices, including town selectman and school board member. A Republican, from 1886 to 1888 he was Secretary of Civil and Military Affairs (chief assistant) for Governor Ebenezer J. Ormsbee.

Proctor was a member of the Vermont House of Representatives from 1890 to 1892 and the Vermont Senate from 1892 to 1894. He served in the Vermont House again from 1900 to 1902 and 1904 to 1906 and was Speaker from 1900 to 1902.

Governor

Elected governor in 1906, Proctor served from October 4, 1906, to October 8, 1908. As governor, rejecting his father's fiscal conservatism, he declared that the state had "a higher duty than to live cheaply." Proctor advocated progressive forestry policies, reorganized Vermont's courts and reformed the commission that regulated utilities and railroads. During his term as governor, Proctor's executive clerk was Aaron H. Grout, the son of former Governor Josiah Grout.

As governor, it also fell to Proctor to appoint a temporary replacement to the United States Senate seat left vacant by the death of his father, Redfield Proctor. He named former governor and congressman John W. Stewart, who served until a special election could be held to fill the remainder of Redfield Proctor's term. Fletcher Proctor was presumed to be prepared to follow in his father's footsteps, but declined to run for the Senate seat, which was won by Carroll S. Page. After completing his term as governor, Proctor returned to Vermont Marble and his other business interests in the town of Proctor.

Death

Proctor died in the town of Proctor on September 27, 1911, after an illness of several weeks. He is interred at South Street Cemetery in Proctor.

References

  1. Fletcher D. Proctor. The National Cyclopedia of American Biography. 1910. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
  2. Vermont Secretary of State, Legislative Directory, 1892, page 323
  3. Vermont Board of Railroad Commissioners, Biennial Report, Volume 6, 1898, page 203
  4. Charles S. Forbes, History of the Republican Party, The Vermonter magazine, June, 1906, pages 178 to 179
  5. Partridge, Frank C. (September–October 1911). "Death Notice: Fletcher Dutton Proctor". The Vermonter. White River Junction, VT: Cas. R. Cummings. p. 350 – via Google Books.
  6. Vermont Men of Today, Fletcher Dutton Proctor, The Vermonter magazine, May, 1902, page 448
  7. The Legislature of 1900, Speaker Fletcher Dutton Proctor, The Vermonter magazine, November, 1900, pages 58 to 60
  8. Vermont Historical Society, Annual Meeting Proceedings, 1918, pages 139 to 140
  9. "Fletcher D. Proctor". National Governors Association. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
  10. John J. Duffy, Samuel B. Hand, Ralph H. Orth, The Vermont Encyclopedia, 2003, page 241
  11. Vermont General Assembly, Acts and Resolves Passed by the Vermont General Assembly, 1906, page 781
  12. Atlanta Constitution, Stewart Goes to Senate, March 25, 1908
  13. New York Times, "Calfskin" Senator From Vermont Now, October 25, 1908
  14. New York Times, Ex-Senator Stewart Dead, October 30, 1915
  15. Fitchburg Daily Sentinel, Fletcher Proctor Sick, September 6, 1911
  16. Vermont Death Records, 1909-2008, entry for Fletcher Dutton Proctor, accessed August 5, 2012
  17. Newport Mercury, Fletcher Proctor Dead, September 30, 1911
  18. "South Street Cemetery, Proctor". Vermont Old Cemetery Association. Retrieved November 24, 2017.

External links

Party political offices
Preceded byCharles J. Bell Republican nominee for Governor of Vermont
1906 		Succeeded byGeorge H. Prouty
Political offices
Preceded byKittredge Haskins Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives
1900 – 1902 		Succeeded byJohn H. Merrifield
Preceded byCharles J. Bell Governor of Vermont
1906–1908 		Succeeded byGeorge H. Prouty
Governors of Vermont
Vermont Republic
(1777–1791)
State of Vermont
(since 1791)
Italics indicate acting governor
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