George Herbert Prouty (March 4, 1862 – August 18, 1918) of Newport, Vermont, was a Republican member of the Vermont House of Representatives from 1896 to 1897; a member of Vermont State Senate from 1904 to 1906; the 46th lieutenant governor of Vermont from 1906 to 1908; the 52nd governor of Vermont from 1908 to 1910; and Delegate to the 1916 Republican National Convention.
George Herbert Prouty | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 52nd Governor of Vermont | |
| In office October 8, 1908 – October 5, 1910 | |
| Lieutenant | John A. Mead |
| Preceded by | Fletcher D. Proctor |
| Succeeded by | John A. Mead |
| 46th Lieutenant Governor of Vermont | |
| In office October 4, 1906 – October 8, 1908 | |
| Governor | Fletcher D. Proctor |
| Preceded by | Charles H. Stearns |
| Succeeded by | John A. Mead |
| Member of the Vermont Senate from Orleans County | |
| In office 1904–1906 Serving with Chauncey Sullivan Skinner | |
| Preceded by | Orien Sanda Annis, Lewis Augustus Jackson |
| Succeeded by | Charles Edwin Coruth, Homer Henry Somers |
| Member of the Vermont House of Representatives from Newport | |
| In office 1896–1898 | |
| Preceded by | John Young |
| Succeeded by | Charles F. Ranney |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 4, 1862 Newport, Vermont |
| Died | August 18, 1918 (aged 56) Waterville, Quebec |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Henrietta Allen Prouty (1865 – 1929) |
| Education | Bryant & Stratton Commercial College |
| Profession | Businessman |
Biography
editBorn in Newport on March 4, 1862, Prouty was the son of John Azro Prouty and Hannah Barker Lamb Prouty. Besides his brother Charles, his siblings included brother Harley Hall Prouty and sister Nellie Barker Prouty, and two half-brothers, Edgar John Prouty and Willard Robert Prouty. Willard Robert Prouty was the father of Winston L. Prouty.[1]
Educated in the public schools of Newport, Prouty attended St. Johnsbury Academy,[2] graduated from Boston's Bryant & Stratton Commercial College, and was employed in the family business, Prouty and Miller, a sawmill and building supply company.[3][4] He married Henrietta "Nettie" Allen of Rockville, Connecticut, on December 1, 1890.[5] He was the uncle of United States Senator Winston Prouty, and the brother of Charles A. Prouty, Chairman of the Interstate Commerce Commission and the Progressive candidate for US Senator from Vermont in 1914.
Career
editActive in the Republican party, he served in the Vermont House of Representatives from 1896 to 1898. From 1904 to 1906 he was a member of the Vermont State Senate and served as Senate President. Prouty served as Lieutenant Governor from 1906 to 1908.
Prouty was elected on the Republican ticket Governor of Vermont in 1908 and served from October 8, 1908, to October 5, 1910.[6] He favored employers' liability law, and during his administration, the state legislature adopted his suggestion to put the Vermont Railroad Commission under a Public Service Commission designed to supervise all public service corporations. In addition, a State Board of Education and a State Library Commission were founded.[7]
In July 1909, Prouty made news when he posted bail for his chauffeur, who had been accused of striking and killing a St. Hyacinthe, Quebec, man in Burlington during celebrations for the Lake Champlain Tercentenary.[8][9][10]
During Prouty's governorship, his Secretary of Civil and Military Affairs (chief assistant) was Aaron H. Grout. Aaron Grout was the son of former Governor Josiah Grout.[11]
Death and legacy
editProuty was killed in Waterville, Quebec, on August 8, 1918, when his chauffeur-driven car was hit by a train as he traveled from Newport to Lennoxville, Quebec, to board a train he was going to take to a business meeting in Maine.[12][13][14][15] He is interred at East Main Street Cemetery, Newport, Vermont.[16]
George Prouty's home was commercially developed and operated for many years as the Governor Prouty Inn, and later turned into senior citizen housing called the Governor Prouty Apartments.[17][18]
References
edit- ^ Charles Henry Pope, Prouty (Proute) Genealogy, 1910, pages vii, 124, 172
- ^ George H. Prouty. Encyclopedia, Vermont Biography. 1912. p. 277. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
George H. Prouty university of vermont biography.
- ^ William Arba Ellis, editor, Norwich University, 1819-1911; Her History, Her Graduates, Her Roll of Honor, Volume 3, 1911, pages 36 to 37
- ^ Charles S. Forbes, History of the Republican Party, The Vermonter magazine, June 1906, pages 180 to 181
- ^ "George H. Prouty". The Political Graveyard. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
- ^ Vermont Historical Society, Annual Meeting Proceedings, 1921, pages 284 to 285
- ^ "George H. Prouty". National Governors Association. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
- ^ New York Times, Gov. Prouty's Driver Held, July 8, 1909
- ^ New York Times, Prouty Bails Chauffeur, July 11, 1909
- ^ Jan Albers, Executive Director Archived September 7, 2012, at archive.today, "1909: The Champlain Tercentenary", Past Times: Stories From the Sheldon Museum, June, 2009
- ^ Vermont General Assembly, Journal of the Vermont General Assembly, 1908, page 17
- ^ Boston Globe, Ex-Gov Prouty of Vermont Killed, August 20, 1918
- ^ New York Times, Ex-Gov. G. H. Prouty Killed, August 20, 1918
- ^ Hartford Courant, Ex-Governor of Vermont Dies in Auto Accident, August 20, 1918
- ^ Newport (R.I.) Mercury, New England News in Tabloid Form, March 15, 1919
- ^ East Main Street (city) Cemetery, Newport, Vermont Old Cemetery Association, accessed November 24, 2017.
- ^ Health Care Investment Analysts, Inc., The Directory of Retirement Facilities, 2001, page 119
- ^ Lisa Soderberg, National Park Service, Community Preservation Synopsis, 1977, page 8
External links
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