Misplaced Pages

Richard Skinner (American politician)

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
American judge

Richard Skinner
9th Governor of Vermont
In office
October 23, 1820 – October 10, 1823
LieutenantWilliam Cahoon
Aaron Leland
Preceded byJonas Galusha
Succeeded byCornelius P. Van Ness
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Vermont's at-large district
In office
March 4, 1813 – March 3, 1815
Preceded bySeat added
Succeeded byCharles Marsh
Member of the Vermont House of Representatives
In office
1818–1819
Preceded byJoel Pratt
Succeeded byElijah Littlefield
In office
1815–1816
Preceded byElijah Littlefield
Succeeded byElijah Littlefield
ConstituencyManchester
Personal details
Born(1778-05-30)May 30, 1778
Litchfield, Connecticut
DiedMay 23, 1833(1833-05-23) (aged 54)
Manchester, Vermont
Resting placeDellwood Cemetery, Manchester, Vermont
Political partyDemocratic Republican
SpouseFanny Pierpont
RelationsRoger Skinner (brother)
Children4 (including Mark Skinner)
EducationLitchfield Law School
ProfessionLawyer / judge / politician
Signature

Richard Skinner (May 30, 1778 – May 23, 1833) was an American politician, attorney, and jurist who served as the ninth governor of Vermont.

Biography

Skinner was born in Litchfield, Connecticut, the son of Timothy Skinner and Susanna Marsh Skinner. Judge Roger Skinner was his brother. Richard Skinner completed preparatory studies and graduated from Litchfield Law School. He was admitted to the bar in 1800, and began a practice in Manchester, Vermont. He married Fanny Pierpont and they had four children, including prominent Illinois politician Mark Skinner. Among the prospective attorneys who learned the law in Skinner's office was Pierpoint Isham, who served as a justice of the Vermont Supreme Court from 1851 to 1856.

Career

In 1801, Skinner became the state's attorney for Bennington County, a position he held until 1813. From 1805 to 1813, Skinner was probate judge for the Manchester district.

In the 1812 elections, Skinner was elected as a Democratic-Republican to the U.S. House of Representatives for Vermont's new created 5th District. He served a single two-year term (the 13th Congress) from March 4, 1813, to March 3, 1815. Skinner lost in the 1814 election to the 14th Congress and returned to Vermont to resume the practice of law.

Skinner became a Judge on the Vermont Supreme Court in 1815 and 1816; he succeeded Asa Aldis as chief justice in 1816, but declined reappointment to the post in 1817. He was a member of the Vermont House of Representatives in 1815 and 1818, serving as Speaker in the latter year.

In 1819, Skinner briefly returned to his former position of Bennington County state's attorney. The same year, he was elected Governor of Vermont, and served from 1820 until 1823, when he became the Chief Justice on the Vermont Supreme Court. Skinner held this position until 1828, when he retired from public life.

Skinner was interested in public education and served as president of the northeastern branch of the American Educational Society and a trustee of Middlebury College.

Death

Skinner died in Manchester on May 23, 1833. He was buried at Dellwood Cemetery in Manchester.

References

  1. "Richard Skinner". National Governors Association. Retrieved October 29, 2012.
  2. Aldrich, Lewis Cass (1889). History of Bennington County, Vt. Syracuse, NY: D. Mason & Co. pp. 539–541.
  3. "Richard Skinner". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved October 29, 2012.
  4. Watson, Winslow Cossoul (1863). The Life and Character of the Hon. Richard Skinner. Albany, NY: J. Munsell. p. 19.
  5. "Richard Skinner". Litchfield Historical Society. Retrieved October 29, 2012.
  6. Kilbourn, Dwight C. (1909). The Bench and Bar of Litchfield County, Connecticut, 1709-1909. Waterbury, CT: The Mattatuck Press. p. 289 – via Google Books.
  7. Harrington, Shawn (January 11, 2017). "Public Servants of the Past: Presented by the Manchester Historical Society; Richard Skinner". Stratton Magazine. Arlington, VT: Old Mill Road Media LLC. Retrieved June 13, 2024.

External links

Party political offices
Preceded byJonas Galusha Democratic-Republican nominee for Governor of Vermont
1820, 1821, 1822 		Succeeded byCornelius P. Van Ness
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded byNew office Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Vermont's at-large congressional district
March 4, 1813 – March 3, 1815 		Succeeded byCharles Marsh
Political offices
Preceded byWilliam A. Griswold Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives
1818–1819 		Succeeded byWilliam A. Griswold
Preceded byJonas Galusha Governor of Vermont
1820–1823 		Succeeded byCornelius P. Van Ness
Governors of Vermont
Vermont Republic
(1777–1791)
State of Vermont
(since 1791)
Italics indicate acting governor
Categories: