Chauncey W. Brownell (October 7, 1847 – February 4, 1938) 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 ...

attorney and

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

who served as

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: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

of 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. ...

and

Vermont Secretary of State The secretary of state of Vermont is one of five cabinet-level constitutional officers in the U.S. state of Vermont which are elected every two years. The secretary of state is fourth (behind the lieutenant governor, speaker of the House of Repr ...

Biography

Chauncey Wells Brownell was born in

Williston, Vermont Williston is a New England town, town in Chittenden County, Vermont, Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. Originally rural and laid out with many farms, in recent decades it has developed into a thriving suburb of Burlington, Vermont, Burlin ...

on October 7, 1847, the son of Chauncey Wells Brownell (1811–1892) and Laura Chapin Higbee Brownell (1815–1852). The elder Brownell was a farmer who served in both 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 ...

and

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 ...

The younger Brownell graduated from the

University of Vermont The University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, commonly referred to as the University of Vermont (UVM), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont, United States. Foun ...

in 1870 and

Albany Law School Albany Law School is a private law school in Albany, New York. It was founded in 1851 and is the oldest independent law school in the nation. It is accredited by the American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary ...

in 1872. Brownell received a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

degree from UVM in 1873. Brownell became a lawyer in Burlington. He was also active in local businesses, including serving on the

board of directors A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulatio ...

of Burlington's electric street railway, board of directors member of the Burlington Building and Loan Association, Vice President of the city's Home Savings Bank, and President of the Burlington Mutual Fire Insurance Company. A Republican, he was Burlington's Grand Juror (municipal court prosecutor) for two years, and

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 Chittenden County from 1884 to 1886. He served as Assistant Secretary of the Vermont Senate from 1874 to 1880, and Senate Secretary from 1880 to 1890. In 1890 Brownell was elected Secretary of State, serving until 1898.Jacob G. Ullery, editor
Men of Vermont Illustrated, 1894, p. 47 In 1900 Brownell was elected a Burlington

Alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law with similar officials existing in the Netherlands (wethouder) and Belgium (schepen). The term may be titular, denotin ...

. In 1902 he was elected to one term in the Vermont Senate and was chosen to serve as President pro tempore. Brownell died in Williston on February 4, 1938. He was buried at

Lakeview Cemetery Lake View Cemetery is a privately owned, nonprofit garden cemetery located in the cities of Cleveland, Cleveland Heights, and East Cleveland in the U.S. state of Ohio. Founded in 1869, the cemetery was favored by wealthy families during the Gil ...

in Burlington.

Family

In 1875, Brownell married Elva Maria Brigham (1850–1920). They were the parents of four children – Carl, Elva, Chauncey, and Henry.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Brownell, Chauncey W. 1847 births 1938 deaths Politicians from Burlington, Vermont University of Vermont alumni Albany Law School alumni Vermont lawyers State's attorneys in Vermont Republican Party Vermont state senators Presidents pro tempore of the Vermont Senate Secretaries of state of Vermont Burials at Lakeview Cemetery (Burlington, Vermont) 20th-century members of the Vermont General Assembly