Jonathan Hunt (Vermont Lieutenant Governor)
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Jonathan Hunt (September 12, 1738 – June 1, 1823) was an American pioneer, landowner and politician from
Vernon, Vermont Vernon is a town in Windham County, Vermont, in the United States. The population was 2,192 at the 2020 census. Vernon is the site of the now-defunct Vermont Yankee, the state of Vermont's only nuclear power plant, which closed in December 2014. ...
. He served as
second The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds ...
lieutenant governor of Vermont The lieutenant governor of Vermont is elected for a two-year term and chosen separately from the governor. The Vermont Lieutenant Governor's main responsibilities include acting as governor when the governor is out of state or incapacitated, presi ...
and was a member of the prominent
Hunt family of Vermont This list of Hunt family members of Vermont includes notable members of an American family that was involved in political and fine arts circles in the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. The family was primarily based in the town of Brattleboro, Vermo ...
.


Early life

Hunt was born in
Northfield, Massachusetts Northfield is a New England town, town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. Northfield was first settled in 1673. The population was 2,866 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts ...
, the son of Captain Samuel Strong Hunt of Northampton and Ann (Ellsworth) Hunt of
Windsor, Connecticut Windsor is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States, and was the first English settlement in the state. It lies on the northern border of Connecticut's capital, Hartford. The population of Windsor was 29,492 at the 2020 census. Po ...
. He was one of the earliest settlers of Vermont, and he began clearing land at Guilford, Vermont in 1758. There are indications that the
Hunt family Hunting is the human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/ hide, bone/tusks, horn/ antler, ...
had ties to Vermont even earlier, when Hunt's grandfather Jonathan witnessed a 1687
Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...
deed conferring land in what was later Vermont by several Native Americans. Hunt's father, Captain Samuel, had himself been the proprietor named in the charter of many New Hampshire towns. Hunt and his associates were granted extensive tracts of land by New Hampshire Governor Benning Wentworth, as well as by patent from New York State and by purchase.


Political career

Hunt held various political positions in Vermont, and served as sheriff of Windham County in 1781. He was high sheriff in 1782, and judge of the Windham County Court in 1783. He served as Lieutenant Governor of the state of Vermont from 1794 to 1796. In 1800 Hunt served as one of Vermont's presidential electors; Vermont was carried by the
Federalists The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters called themselves ''Federalists''. History Europe federation In Europe, proponents of de ...
, and Hunt cast his ballots for Federalist candidates
John Adams John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, attorney, diplomat, writer, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Befor ...
and
Charles Cotesworth Pinckney Charles Cotesworth Pinckney (February 25, 1746 – August 16, 1825) was an American Founding Father, statesman of South Carolina, Revolutionary War veteran, and delegate to the Constitutional Convention where he signed the United States Constit ...
. Hunt is considered one of the founders of
Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...
as well as one of its earliest pioneers and largest landowners. He lived in
Vernon, Vermont Vernon is a town in Windham County, Vermont, in the United States. The population was 2,192 at the 2020 census. Vernon is the site of the now-defunct Vermont Yankee, the state of Vermont's only nuclear power plant, which closed in December 2014. ...
, the name suggested by his wife Lavinia (Swan) Hunt, a Massachusetts native and former pupil of President
John Adams John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, attorney, diplomat, writer, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Befor ...
.


Vernon, Vermont

When Hunt was instructed by the
Vermont General Assembly The Vermont General Assembly is the legislative body of the state of Vermont, in the United States. The Legislature is formally known as the "General Assembly," but the style of "Legislature" is commonly used, including by the body itself. The G ...
to change the name of the town he represented from Hinsdale to Huntstown in his honor, he demurred. He asked his wife, who suggested Vernon instead, making it the only Vermont town said to be named by a woman. The Governor Hunt house, built by Hunt in 1779, and once featured in Herbert W. Congdon's "Old Vermont Houses," is now on the grounds of the
Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant Vermont Yankee was an electricity generating nuclear power plant, located in the town of Vernon, Vermont, in the northeastern United States. It generated 620 megawatts (MWe) of electricity at full power. The plant was a boiling water reacto ...
. Hunt's son, also named Jonathan Hunt, served as a U.S. Congressman from Vermont.


Death and legacy

Hunt died in Vernon on June 1, 1823. Governor Hunt Road in Vernon, Vermont is named for Hunt.


Family life

Hunt was the great-great-grandson of Jonathan Hunt and his wife Mary Webster, daughter of Governor John Webster of the Connecticut Colony. Hunt's brother
General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...
Arad Hunt, who also lived in Vernon, was general of the Vermont militia, a member of the Westminster Convention of 1777, and a prominent early backer of
Middlebury College Middlebury College is a private liberal arts college in Middlebury, Vermont. Founded in 1800 by Congregationalists, Middlebury was the first operating college or university in Vermont. The college currently enrolls 2,858 undergraduates from all ...
, to which he donated over of land in Albany, Vermont. He and his brother were among the largest speculators in Vermont lands, owning tens of thousands of acres across the state. Hunt married Lavinia Swan on July 15, 1779. They had four children: Ellen Francis Hunt, Anne Hunt, Lavina S. Hunt and Jonathan Hunt. Their son was a U.S. Congressman from Vermont, and their daughter Ellen was married to Lewis R. Morris, U.S. Congressman from Vermont and nephew of statesman
Gouverneur Morris Gouverneur Morris ( ; January 31, 1752 – November 6, 1816) was an American statesman, a Founding Father of the United States, and a signatory to the Articles of Confederation and the United States Constitution. He wrote the Preamble to the U ...
. Hunt's brother-in-law
Benjamin Swan Benjamin Swan is a former American state legislator who served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives and represented the 11th Hampden District from 2009 to 2016. On February 6, 2014, Swan was one of five members of the legislative body ...
served as Vermont's
State Treasurer In the state governments of the United States, 48 of the 50 states have the executive position of treasurer. New York abolished the position in 1926; duties were transferred to New York State Comptroller. Texas abolished the position of Texas ...
for many years. His brother-in-law
Timothy Swan Timothy Swan (1758–1842) was a Yankee tunesmith and hatmaker born in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA. The son of goldsmith William Swan, Swan lived in small towns along the Connecticut River in Connecticut and Massachusetts for most of his li ...
was an eccentric composer and poet who lived in
Suffield, Connecticut Suffield is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. It was once within the boundaries of Massachusetts. The town is located in the Connecticut River Valley with the town of Enfield, Connecticut, Enfiel ...
.)The History of the Descendants of John Dwight, of Dedham, Massachusetts, Vol. II, Benjamin Woodbridge Dwight, John F. Trow & Son, New York, 1874
/ref> His family would go on to be one of the most prominent in the entire state.


References


Further reading

* Vermont Place-Names: Footprints of History by Esther Munroe Swift


External links




{{DEFAULTSORT:Hunt, Jonathan 1738 births 1823 deaths People from Northfield, Massachusetts People from Windham County, Vermont People of colonial Massachusetts Lieutenant Governors of Vermont Hunt family of Vermont People of pre-statehood Vermont