Allen Miller Fletcher (September 25, 1853 – May 11, 1922) was an American politician who served as the 54th governor of Vermont from 1912 to 1915.

Biography

Fletcher was born in

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

, on September 25, 1853. The son of a successful banker whose family was originally from Proctorsville, Vermont, he was educated at Willston Seminary in East Hampton, Massachusetts, and became a banker and businessman with homes in Indianapolis and

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. In 1881 he built a summer home in Proctorsville. He married Mary E. Bence and they had three children. In 1899 he moved to New York City and became a member of the Stock Exchange. Six years later he retired to spend more time in Vermont. A Republican, Fletcher was a Proctorsville Village Trustee 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 1902 to 1903, 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 elected from multi-member districts. Each senator represents at least 20,300 citizens. ...

from 1904 to 1905, and the Vermont House again from 1906 to 1912. He was a delegate to the

Republican National Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the Republican Party in the United States. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal o ...

in 1908. Fletcher was a leader in the legislature; during his Senate term he was chairman of the Finance Committee. During the 1906 to 1908 legislative session, he was chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. In his final two House terms, he was chairman of both the Rules and Ways & Means Committees. In 1912, Fletcher was elected Governor, serving from 1912 to 1915. Fletcher was selected 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 ...

after a three-way race including a Progressive party nominee prevented any candidate from obtaining the popular vote majority required by the

Vermont Constitution The Constitution of the State of Vermont is the fundamental body of law of the U.S. state of Vermont, describing and framing its government. It was adopted in 1793 following Vermont's admission to the Union in 1791 and is largely based upon th ...

. While in office the end of Fletcher's term was extended from October 1914 to January 1915 as part of changing the start and end dates of all statewide offices to January. After leaving the Governor's office, Fletcher returned to his business interests, and was an unsuccessful candidate for the Republican

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

nomination in 1916, losing to incumbent

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 ...

Death and legacy

Fletcher died of a cerebral hemorrhage while staying at Rutland's Berwick Hotel. He is interred at

Crown Hill Cemetery Crown Hill Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery located at 700 West 38th Street in Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana. The privately owned cemetery was established in 1863 at Strawberry Hill, whose summit was renamed "The Crown", a high poi ...

. Fletcher's family made numerous contributions for civic causes in Cavendish and

Ludlow Ludlow ( ) is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire (district), Shropshire, England. It is located south of Shrewsbury and north of Hereford, on the A49 road (Great Britain), A49 road which bypasses the town. The town is near the conf ...

including constructing and donating Ludlow's Fletcher Library in 1901. His home "The Castle" is now an inn and restaurant near Okemo Mountain ski resort. In addition, his heirs donated the Ludlow property that is today the

Fletcher Farm School The Fletcher Farm School is an arts and crafts school in Ludlow (town), Vermont, Ludlow, Vermont, USA, operated by the non-profit Society of Vermont Artists and Craftsmen. Courses are given on weekends in winter and spring, and during the summer. ...

, a non-profit educational center that offers instruction in the arts. Fletcher's son Allen M. Fletcher Jr. served in the Vermont House and Senate in the 1940s.Council of State Governments, State Administrative Officials Classified by Functions, 1949, page 147

References

External links

National Governors Association
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fletcher, Allen M. 1853 births 1922 deaths Politicians from Indianapolis Politicians from Windsor County, Vermont Republican Party members of the Vermont House of Representatives Republican Party Vermont state senators Republican Party governors of Vermont Burials at Crown Hill Cemetery 20th-century members of the Vermont General Assembly