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 Cavendish is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. The town was likely named after William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire. The population was 1,392 at the 2020 census. The town of Cavendish includes the unincorporated villages of ...

, on November 7, 1860, the son of Vermont Governor

Redfield Proctor Redfield Proctor (June 1, 1831March 4, 1908) was a U.S. politician of the Republican Party. He served as the 37th governor of Vermont from 1878 to 1880, as Secretary of War from 1889 to 1891, and as a United States Senator for Vermont from 189 ...

and brother of Governor Redfield Proctor Jr. He was raised in

Proctor Proctor (a variant of ''wikt:procurator, procurator'') is a person who takes charge of, or acts for, another. The title is used in England and some other English-speaking countries in three principal contexts: # In law, a proctor is a historica ...

, attended

Middlebury College Middlebury College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Middlebury, Vermont, United States. Founded in 1800 by Congregationalism in the United States, Congregationalists, Middlebury w ...

, and graduated from

Amherst College Amherst College ( ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zepha ...

in 1882. He received

honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...

s from the

University of Vermont The University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, commonly referred to as the University of Vermont (UVM), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont, United States. Foun ...

in 1907, Middlebury College in 1908, and

Norwich University Norwich University is a private university in Northfield, Vermont, United States. The university was founded in 1819 as the "American Literary, Scientific and Military Academy". It is the oldest of six senior military college, senior militar ...

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 Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

, and he was often addressed by that title in contemporary newspaper accounts. Proctor enlisted in the

Vermont National Guard The Vermont National Guard is composed of the Vermont Army National Guard and the Vermont Air National Guard. Together, they are collectively known as the Green Mountain Boys. Both units use the original Revolutionary War-era Flag of the Green Mo ...

's Company A, 1st Infantry Regiment in 1884 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant. He was promoted to

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...

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 The Vermont House of Representatives is the lower house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The House comprises 150 members, with each member representing around 4,100 citizens. Representatives a ...

from 1890 to 1892 and the

Vermont Senate The Vermont Senate is the upper house of the Vermont General Assembly, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The senate consists of 30 members elected from multi-member districts. Each senator repre ...

from 1892 to 1894. He served in the Vermont House again from 1900 to 1902 and 1904 to 1906 and was

Speaker Speaker most commonly refers to: * Speaker, a person who produces speech * Loudspeaker, a device that produces sound ** Computer speakers Speaker, Speakers, or The Speaker may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * "Speaker" (song), by David ...

from 1900 to 1902.

Governor

Elected Elected may refer to: * "Elected" (song), by Alice Cooper, 1973 * ''Elected'' (EP), by Ayreon, 2008 *The Elected, an American indie rock band See also *Election An election is a formal group decision-making process whereby a population ch ...

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 Josiah Grout Jr. (May 28, 1841July 19, 1925) was an American lawyer and politician from Vermont. A Republican, he served multiple terms in the Vermont House of Representatives and Vermont Senate, including holding the leadership post of Speaker ...

. As governor, it also fell to Proctor to appoint a temporary replacement to the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

seat left vacant by the death of his father,

. He named former governor and

congressman A member of congress (MOC), also known as a congressman or congresswoman, is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official body called a congress, typically to represent a particular constituency in a legislature. The t ...

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 Carroll Smalley Page (January 10, 1843December 3, 1925) was an American businessman and politician. He served as the 43rd governor of Vermont and a United States senator. A native of Westfield, Vermont, Page was the son of a successful farmer ...

. 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

External links

Political Graveyard
*
The National Cyclopedia of American Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Proctor, Fletcher D. 1860 births 1911 deaths People from Cavendish, Vermont People from Proctor, Vermont Amherst College alumni National Guard (United States) officers Republican Party governors of Vermont Speakers of the Vermont House of Representatives Republican Party Vermont state senators Republican Party members of the Vermont House of Representatives Vermont National Guard personnel 19th-century members of the Vermont General Assembly