Porter Hinman Dale (March 1, 1867October 6, 1933) was a member of both 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 they ...

and later 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 pow ...

from

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 ...

Early life and career

The son of Lieutenant Governor

George N. Dale George N. Dale (February 19, 1834 – January 29, 1903) was a Vermont lawyer and politician who served as the 28th lieutenant governor of Vermont from 1870 to 1872. He was the father of Porter Hinman Dale, who served as a member of the United S ...

and Helen (Hinman) Dale, Porter Dale was born in

Island Pond, Vermont Island Pond is a census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Brighton in Essex County, Vermont, United States. The population was 750 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Berlin, NH–VT Micropolitan Statistical Area. Geography Islan ...

on March 1, 1867. Dale attended public schools in his hometown and went on to study at

Eastman Business College The Eastman Business College was a business school located in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. It operated from 1859 until it closed in 1931. At the height of its success, the school was one of the largest commercial colleges in the United St ...

. Later he studied in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

and

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, and he spent two years studying elocution and oratory with James Edward Murdoch, a

Shakespearean William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

scholar and actor. Upon completion of his education, he taught school at the Green Mountain Seminary in

Waterbury, Vermont Waterbury is a town in Washington County in central Vermont, United States. Although the town is still home to the Waterbury Village Historic District, the village sharing the name of the town officially dissolved as a municipality in 2018. As ...

, and at

Bates College Bates College () is a private liberal arts college in Lewiston, Maine. Anchored by the Historic Quad, the campus of Bates totals with a small urban campus which includes 33 Victorian Houses as some of the dormitories. It maintains of nature p ...

Lewiston, Maine Lewiston (; ; officially the City of Lewiston, Maine) is the second largest city in Maine and the most central city in Androscoggin County. The city lies halfway between Augusta, the state's capital, and Portland, the state's most populous ci ...

. Dale then studied law with his father, was admitted to the bar in 1896, and practiced in Island Pond. After the death of his father, Dale practiced in partnership with Harry B. Amey. Dale served as chief deputy collector of customs at Island Pond from 1897 to 1910, when he resigned and was appointed judge of the Brighton municipal court. He also served in the

state militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military 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 colonel was typically in charge o ...

on the staff

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Josiah Grout, and he was also involved in the lumber, electric, and banking businesses. In 1900 he was an unsuccessful candidate for the Republican nomination in the election for Vermont's Second District seat in the U.S. House. Dale was elected to the

Vermont State Senate The Vermont Senate is the upper house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The senate consists of 30 members. Senate districting divides the 30 members into three single-member districts, six two-m ...

in 1910 and served two two-year terms.

House of Representatives

In 1914, Dale was a candidate for the Republican U.S. House nomination in Vermont's 2nd District. He defeated Alexander Dunnett on the 21st ballot at the state party convention, and went on to win the general election. He served from March 4, 1915 to August 11, 1923, when he resigned to become a candidate for the

. Dale served as chairman of the Committee on Expenditures in the Department of the Treasury during the Sixty-Sixth and Sixty-Seventh Congresses.

First inauguration of Calvin Coolidge

Dale was campaigning for the Senate on the night of August 2, 1923 when he heard of the death of

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Warren G. Harding Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 – August 2, 1923) was the 29th president of the United States, serving from 1921 until his death in 1923. A member of the Republican Party, he was one of the most popular sitting U.S. presidents. A ...

. Calvin Coolidge was staying at the home of his father John Calvin Coolidge Sr. in

Plymouth, Vermont Plymouth is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. The population was 641 at the 2020 census. Calvin Coolidge, the 30th President of the United States, was born and raised in Plymouth and is buried there as well. The State of Vermont ...

, and Dale traveled to the Coolidge home to ensure that Coolidge was informed and to offer his assistance. By most accounts, it was Dale who suggested persistently that Coolidge be sworn in immediately to ensure continuity in the presidency, and Dale witnessed Coolidge receiving the oath of office from John Coolidge early on the morning of August 3. Dale drafted and revised a written an account of this event, which his grandson Porter H. Dale II and great-grandson Christopher Dale later discovered and published in the ''Journal of Vermont History'' in 1994.

U.S. Senate

Dale was elected to the

on November 6, 1923 for the remainder of the term ending March 3, 1927, which had been made vacant by the death of William P. Dillingham. Dale was reelected in 1926 and 1932, and served from November 7, 1923, until his death. He was chairman of the Committee on Civil Service ( Sixty-ninth through Seventy-second Congresses).

Death and burial

Dale died at his summer home on

Lake Willoughby Lake Willoughby is a lake in the town of Westmore in Orleans County in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont, United States. The lake's southern end is surrounded by the Willoughby State Forest. This state forest includes Mount Pisgah, Mount Hor, c ...

in Westmore, Vermont on October 6, 1933. He was buried in Lakeside Cemetery in Island Pond.Esther Buck Hamilton
Vermont is a State I Love
1976, page 41

Family

In 1891, Dale married Amy K. Bartlett (b. 1861) of Island Pond. She died on August 1, 1907, and in 1910 he married Augusta M. Wood (1876-1961) of

. With his first wife, Dale was the father of Marian (1892-1975), Timothy (1894-1977), Amy (1895-1938), and George (1898-1962).

References

External links

Porter Hinman Dale
a

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dale, Porter H. 1867 births 1933 deaths Vermont lawyers Eastman Business College alumni Bates College faculty Island Pond, Vermont Republican Party Vermont state senators Republican Party United States senators from Vermont People from Brighton, Vermont Vermont state court judges Burials in Vermont Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Vermont American lawyers admitted to the practice of law by reading law 20th-century American politicians 19th-century American lawyers 20th-century American judges Vermont National Guard personnel