Abel Underwood (April 8, 1799 – April 22, 1879) was a

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

lawyer, judge, and politician. A Whig and later a Republican, he was most notable for his service as

United States Attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal ...

for the District of Vermont (1849-1853) and a judge of the Vermont Circuit Court (1854-1857). A native of

Bradford, Vermont Bradford is a town in Orange County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,790 at the 2020 census. Bradford is located on the county's eastern border, bordering both the Connecticut River and New Hampshire, and is a commercial center fo ...

, Underwood attended the academy in

Royalton, Vermont Royalton is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,750 at the 2020 census. It includes the villages of Royalton, South Royalton, and North Royalton. Vermont Law School, the state's only accredited law school, ...

to prepare for a university education, and graduated from

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College ( ) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, Dartmouth is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the America ...

in 1824. He

read law Reading law was the primary method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship un ...

with Isaac Fletcher, attained admission to the bar in 1827, and practiced in

Wells River, Vermont Wells River is a village in the town of Newbury in Orange County, Vermont, United States. The population was 431 at the 2020 census. The village center is located at the junction of U.S. Routes 5 and 302. The village center (the portion n ...

. A Whig, he served as

State's Attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, county prosecutor, state attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or solicitor is the chief prosecutor or chief law enforcement officer represen ...

of Orange County (1838-1839, 1840-1841), U.S. Attorney during the presidencies of

Zachary Taylor Zachary Taylor (November 24, 1784 – July 9, 1850) was an American military officer and politician who was the 12th president of the United States, serving from 1849 until his death in 1850. Taylor was a career officer in the United States ...

and

Millard Fillmore Millard Fillmore (January 7, 1800 – March 8, 1874) was the 13th president of the United States, serving from 1850 to 1853. He was the last president to be a member of the Whig Party while in the White House, and the last to be neither a De ...

(1849-1853), and a judge of the Vermont Circuit Court from 1854 until the court was abolished in 1857. He became a Republican when the party was founded in the 1850s, and served in 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 1861 to 1862. Underwood died in Wells River in 1879.

Biography

Abel Underwood was born in

on April 8, 1799, the son of John Underwood and Mary (Fassett) Underwood. Having decided early on a legal career, Underwood attended the academy in Royalton to prepare for a university education, and taught school to help pay his expenses. Underwood then enrolled at

, from which he graduated in 1824. After receiving his degree, Underwood studied law with Isaac Fletcher in Danville, and attained

admission to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1827. Underwood practiced in partnership with Fletcher for a year, then moved to Wells River to establish his own office. Initially unsuccessful, Underwood relocated to

Dexter, Maine Dexter is a town in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. The population was 3,803 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Bangor metropolitan statistical area. Dexter Regional High School, which serves Dexter as well as other nearby small to ...

, but returned to Wells River a year later. His practice became successful after his return to Wells River, and Underwood became one of Vermont's most prominent corporation attorneys, with his specialty being railroad rights of way and construction. Underwood was also involved in business and finance, and was president of the Bank of Newbury. Active in politics as a Whig, Underwood served as

of Orange County from 1838 to 1839, and again from 1840 to 1841. In 1843, he was an unsuccessful candidate for 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 ...

. In 1849 he was appointed

for the District of Vermont, and he served until 1853. In 1854 he was appointed a judge of the Vermont Circuit Court, succeeding

Jacob Collamer Jacob Collamer (January 8, 1791 – November 9, 1865) was an American politician from Vermont. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives, as Postmaster General in the cabinet of President Zachary Taylor, and as a U.S. Senator. Born i ...

following Collamer's election 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 ...

. He served on the bench until 1857, when Vermont abolished its circuit courts and Underwood's position was eliminated. By now a Republican, from 1861 to 1862, Underwood served as Newbury's member of the

. In 1867, Underwood was appointed federal Register in Bankruptcy for

Vermont's 2nd congressional district Vermont's 2nd congressional district is an obsolete district. It was created upon Vermont's admission as the 14th state in 1791. It was eliminated after the 1930 census. Its last congressman was Ernest W. Gibson, who was redistricted R ...

, and he served until his death.

Death

Underwood died in Wells River on April 22, 1879.

Family

In 1827, Underwood married Emily Rix of Royalton. Their children included Elizabeth, George, Emily, Mary Ellen, and Susan. Abel Underwood was the uncle of

Levi Underwood Levi Underwood (December 24, 1821 – March 11, 1902) was a lawyer and politician from Vermont. Originally a Democrat, Underwood's antislavery views caused him to join the new Republican Party when it was founded. Underwood was most notable for ...

, the son of Abel Underwood's brother Silas.

References

Sources

Books

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Newspapers

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Underwood, Abel 1799 births 1879 deaths People from Bradford, Vermont Vermont Whigs Vermont lawyers State's attorneys in Vermont United States attorneys for the District of Vermont Vermont state court judges 19th-century Vermont state court judges 19th-century American lawyers Republican Party members of the Vermont House of Representatives 19th-century members of the Vermont General Assembly