Solomon Foot (November 19, 1802March 28, 1866) was an American politician and attorney. He held numerous offices during his career, including Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives,

State's Attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a ...

for Rutland County, member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together the ...

, and

United States Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and p ...

. A native of Cornwall, Vermont, Foot began working on local farms at age nine, helping support his family after the death of his father. After graduating from

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 ...

, Foot worked as a teacher, school principal, and college professor while studying law. After attaining admission to the bar in 1831, he opened a practice in

Rutland Rutland () is a ceremonial county and unitary authority in the East Midlands, England. The county is bounded to the west and north by Leicestershire, to the northeast by Lincolnshire and the southeast by Northamptonshire. Its greatest l ...

. Entering politics as a Whig, Foot served in several offices, including member of the Vermont House of Representatives, delegate to the state constitutional conventions of 1833 and 1836, and Rutland County

. He was Vermont's Speaker of the House from 1837 to 1839. Foot served in the

from 1843 to 1847 and was noted for his opposition to the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Second Federal Republic of Mexico, Mexico f ...

and the extension of slavery. He did not run for reelection in 1846; returned to the Vermont House, he served as Speaker from 1847 to 1848. In 1850 Foot was elected to the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and ...

; he became a Republican when the party was founded, and won reelection in 1856 and 1862. Foot served as

President pro tempore of the United States Senate The president pro tempore of the United States Senate (often shortened to president pro tem) is the second-highest-ranking official of the United States Senate, after the vice president. According to Article One, Section Three of the United ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by state ...

, and was a strong advocate for the Union. He headed the Joint Congressional Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds beginning in 1861, and which included supervising completion of the

United States Capitol The United States Capitol, often called The Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the Seat of government, seat of the Legislature, legislative branch of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, which is form ...

's construction. Foot died in

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

in 1866; he was buried at Evergreen Cemetery in Rutland.

Early life

Foot was born on November 19, 1802, in Cornwall, Vermont.Middlebury College
Catalogue of Officers and Students of Middlebury College
1917, page 78 He was the son of Dr. Solomon and Betsey Crossett Foot, and his family lived across the road from William Slade. Foot's father died when he was nine years old, and he worked on local farms to help support his family. He graduated from

in 1826 and also received a master's degree from Middlebury. He was a tutor in Middlebury and Burlington, preceptor of Castleton Academy, and professor of

natural philosophy Natural philosophy or philosophy of nature (from Latin ''philosophia naturalis'') is the philosophical study of physics, that is, nature and the physical universe. It was dominant before the development of modern science. From the ancient wor ...

at the Vermont Medical School in Castleton. While teaching he studied law with attorneys Benjamin F. Langdon and Reuben R. Thrall. Foot attained admission to the bar in 1831, afterwards practicing in

Start of career

Foot served in the Vermont House of Representatives in 1833 and was a Delegate to the Vermont State

Constitutional Convention Constitutional convention may refer to: * Constitutional convention (political custom), an informal and uncodified procedural agreement *Constitutional convention (political meeting), a meeting of delegates to adopt a new constitution or revise an e ...

in 1836. He served again in the Vermont House from 1836 to 1839 and was Speaker from 1837 to 1839. He served as Rutland County

from 1836 to 1842.

Congressman

Foot was elected to the

as a Whig in 1842 and served two terms, 1843 to 1847. As a Congressman Foot opposed extending slavery and the

. He declined renomination in 1846. Returned to the Vermont House of Representatives, Foot was again chosen to serve as Speaker, holding the post from 1847 to 1848.

1848 Whig Convention

Foot was a Delegate to the 1848 Whig National Convention, and was Chairman of the Vermont delegation.Michael F. Holt
''The Rise and Fall of the American Whig Party''
2003, pages 327–329Alan Brinkley, Davis Dyer
''The American Presidency''
2004, page 146 Abbott Lawrence of

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 ...

, who had worked diligently to obtain the Presidential nomination for

Zachary Taylor Zachary Taylor (November 24, 1784 – July 9, 1850) was an American military leader who served as the 12th president of the United States from 1849 until his death in 1850. Taylor was a career officer in the United States Army, rising to th ...

, expected to be the Vice Presidential nominee, counting on the support of Thurlow Weed of New York and the southern delegates who had backed Taylor. Northern and border state delegates, who had backed

Henry Clay Henry Clay Sr. (April 12, 1777June 29, 1852) was an American attorney and statesman who represented Kentucky in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. He was the seventh House speaker as well as the ninth secretary of state, ...

Daniel Webster Daniel Webster (January 18, 1782 – October 24, 1852) was an American lawyer and statesman who represented New Hampshire and Massachusetts in the U.S. Congress and served as the U.S. Secretary of State under Presidents William Henry Harri ...

for President, threatened to run a northern candidate in opposition to Taylor unless a northerner other than Lawrence—one seen as less willing to allow slavery—was selected for Vice President. They proposed

Millard Fillmore Millard Fillmore (January 7, 1800March 8, 1874) was the 13th president of the United States, serving from 1850 to 1853; he was the last to be a member of the Whig Party while in the White House. A former member of the U.S. House of Represen ...

of New York. Other delegates promoted Fillmore because they opposed the efforts of Weed and William H. Seward to control the party in New York, and believed that Weed was working to install Seward as Secretary of State in a Taylor administration. They backed Fillmore for Vice President because in an era when the President, Vice President and cabinet were expected to reflect geographic balance, if Fillmore became Vice President, another New Yorker (Seward) could not be expected to claim a place in the cabinet. Foot went to the convention as a supporter of Lawrence. Recognizing that the Whigs would likely collapse if Lawrence was nominated and northern delegates left the party, Foot agreed to support Fillmore. Lawrence's support eroded as other northern delegates followed Foot's lead, and on the first ballot, Fillmore had 115 votes and Lawrence 109. Fillmore won the nomination on the second ballot, and the ticket of Taylor and Fillmore went on to win the election.

United States Senator

Foot was elected to the United States Senate as a Whig in 1850. He became a Republican at the party's founding and was reelected to the Senate in 1856 and 1862. He served from March 4, 1851, until his death. In early 1861 Foot met the Vermont delegates to the Peace Conference which attempted to prevent the start of the

.Ernest B. Furgurson
''Freedom Rising: Washington in the Civil War''
2007, page 38 At this meeting, he shared with them his view that the conference was a sham by

secession Secession is the withdrawal of a group from a larger entity, especially a political entity, but also from any organization, union or military alliance. Some of the most famous and significant secessions have been: the former Soviet republics l ...

ists who hoped to obtain additional time to plan for the withdrawal of their states from the Union. Foot was also Chairman of the Senate committee responsible for the

inauguration In government and politics, inauguration is the process of swearing a person into office and thus making that person the incumbent. Such an inauguration commonly occurs through a formal ceremony or special event, which may also include an inaug ...

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

in 1861. Foot served as the Senate's President pro tempore from 1861 to 1864. Because

Vice President A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is o ...

Hannibal Hamlin Hannibal Hamlin (August 27, 1809 – July 4, 1891) was an American attorney and politician who served as the 15th vice president of the United States from 1861 to 1865, during President Abraham Lincoln's first term. He was the first Republica ...

was often absent, Foot usually presided over the Senate during the war, and he was commended for his tact and fairness. He was Chairman of the Joint Congressional Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds from 1861 until his death. In this capacity, he oversaw completion of construction on the

Death

Foot died in Washington, D.C. on March 28, 1866. Funeral services were held in the Chamber of the United States Senate. He is interred at Evergreen Cemetery, Rutland, Vermont.

Honors

Foot was a Trustee of

and the

University of Vermont The University of Vermont (UVM), officially the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, is a public land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont. It was founded in 1791 and is among the oldest universities in the United ...

.Middlebury College
''Catalogue of the Officers and Alumni of Middlebury College''"> ''Catalogue of the Officers and Alumni of Middlebury College''
1890, page 60 He received an

honorary An honorary position is one given as an honor, with no duties attached, and without payment. Other uses include: * Honorary Academy Award, by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, United States * Honorary Aryan, a status in Nazi Germany ...

LL.D. degree from Middlebury in 1857.

Family

Foot was married in 1839 to Emily Fay of Rutland. They had one daughter, Helen Eliza Foot (1840-1841). Emily died on May 2, 1842. In 1844, Foot married Mary A. (Hodges) Dana. She was the mother of a son, William Hodges Dana (1830-1837). Foot's brother Jonathan (born October 31, 1804) graduated from Vermont Medical College in 1829. Dawn D. Hance, Rutland Historical Society
''Early Families of Rutland, Vermont''
1990, page 139 He settled in

Whitby, Ontario Whitby is a town in Durham Region. Whitby is located in Southern Ontario east of Ajax and west of Oshawa, on the north shore of Lake Ontario and is home to the headquarters of Durham Region. It had a population of 138,501 at the 2021 census. ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...

, where he practiced medicine. Solomon Foot's mother lived with him in Rutland until her death in 1845.

References

Gallery

File:Solomon Foot 1859.jpg, Solomon Foot as a U.S. Senator in 1859 File:Hon._Solomon_Foote,_Vermont_-_NARA_-_528671.jpg, Photo by Mathew Brady File:Portrait of the Late Hon. Solomon Foot of VT.jpg, ''The American Phrenological Journal and Life Illustrated'', June 1866.

External links

The Political Graveyard
*
Encyclopedia, Vermont Biography

Govtrack US Congress
{{DEFAULTSORT:Foot, Solomon 1802 births 1866 deaths People from Cornwall, Vermont American people of English descent Whig Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Vermont Whig Party United States senators from Vermont Republican Party United States senators from Vermont Vermont Republicans Presidents pro tempore of the United States Senate Members of the Vermont House of Representatives State's attorneys in Vermont People from Rutland (city), Vermont Vermont lawyers Middlebury College alumni People of Vermont in the American Civil War Union (American Civil War) political leaders Burials at Evergreen Cemetery (Rutland, Vermont) 19th-century American lawyers