Daniel Buck (November 9, 1753 – August 16, 1816) was an American lawyer and politician. He served as a

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

from

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 ...

Biography

Buck was born in

Hebron, Connecticut Hebron ( ) is a New England town, town in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Capitol Planning Region, Connecticut, Capitol Planning Region. The population was 9,098 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. ...

, the son of Thomas and Jane Buck. He served as a soldier in the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

and rose to the rank of sergeant as a member of Captain David Wheeler's Company in the Massachusetts militia regiment commanded by Benjamin Simonds. He was wounded and lost an arm at the

Battle of Bennington The Battle of Bennington was a battle of the American Revolutionary War, part of the Saratoga campaign, that took place on August 16, 1777, on the John Green farm in Walloomsac, New York, about from its namesake, Bennington, Vermont. An American ...

in 1777, and received a pension from the state of Massachusetts. He studied law with

Sylvester Gilbert Sylvester Gilbert (October 20, 1755 – January 2, 1846) was a United States representative from Connecticut. He was born in Hebron, Connecticut. He pursued classical studies and was graduated from Dartmouth College in 1775. Later, he studied la ...

and was

admitted 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 1783. He practiced law in

Thetford, Vermont Thetford is a New England town, town in Orange County, Vermont, Orange County, Vermont, United States in the Connecticut River Valley. The population was 2,775 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Villages within the town include East ...

, and 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 from 1783 to 1785 and Orange County's

clerk of the court A court clerk (British English: clerk to the court or clerk of the court ; American English: clerk of the court or clerk of court ) is an officer of the court whose responsibilities include maintaining records of a court and administering oaths t ...

in 1783 and 1784. He was assistant secretary of 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 ...

in 1784, and secretary ''pro tempore'' of Vermont's Governor's Council in 1785. Buck moved to

Norwich, Vermont Norwich is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. The population was 3,612 at the 2020 census. Home to some of the state of Vermont's wealthiest residents, the municipality is a commuter town for nearby Hanover, New Hampshire acros ...

in 1785. The town's first attorney, he also supported himself by carrying out the duties of town highway surveyor and pound keeper. He was a delegate to the 1791 convention which ratified the

United States Constitution The Constitution of the United States is the Supremacy Clause, supreme law of the United States, United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, on March 4, 1789. Originally includi ...

and made possible Vermont's admission to the Union as the 14th state. That year, he ran as the Federalist candidate in the 2nd congressional district, which he would later be elected to in 1795. In 1792 he served on the state Council of Censors, which met periodically to review acts of the Vermont House and ensure their constitutionality. He was a member of the

in 1793 and 1794, and served as

Speaker Speaker most commonly refers to: * Speaker, a person who produces speech * Loudspeaker, a device that produces sound ** Computer speakers Speaker, Speakers, or The Speaker may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * "Speaker" (song), by David ...

. He served as

Vermont Attorney General The Vermont attorney general is a statewide elected executive official in the U.S. state of Vermont who is elected every two years. It was created by an act of the Vermont General Assembly in 1790, repealed in 1797, and revived in 1904. The office ...

from 1793 to 1795. He was elected as a

Federalist The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters call themselves ''Federalists''. History Europe federation In Europe, proponents of deep ...

to the Fourth Congress, serving from March 4, 1795, to March 3, 1797. He was re-elected in 1796 but declined his seat. In 1799 Buck received the

honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...

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 ...

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 ...

. Buck was

for Windsor County in 1802 and 1803. In 1805 Buck moved to

Chelsea, Vermont Chelsea is a town in and the shire town (county seat) of Orange County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,233 at the 2020 census. Geography Chelsea is located in a river valley in central Vermont. The First Branch of the White R ...

, where he practiced law and again served as a member of the Vermont House of Representatives in 1806 and 1807. Among the students who studied law with Buck was William A. Palmer. While living in Chelsea Buck was imprisoned for debt. He was given a parole called "freedom of the prison", which enabled him to work and raise money to pay off his creditors.

Death

Buck died in Chelsea on August 16, 1816, and was interred at the Old Chelsea Cemetery in Chelsea.

Family

In 1786 Buck married Content Ashley of Norwich. They were the parents of eleven children, seven of whom lived to adulthood. Daniel Buck's son, Daniel Azro Ashley Buck, was also a U.S. Representative from Vermont, and served in the Twentieth Congress (March 4, 1827 to March 3, 1829).

References

External links

*
The Political Graveyard

govtrack.us

The State of Vermont: Office of the Attorney General
{{DEFAULTSORT:Buck, Daniel 1753 births 1816 deaths People from Hebron, Connecticut People from Chelsea, Vermont Members of the Vermont House of Representatives Speakers of the Vermont House of Representatives Vermont lawyers State's attorneys in Vermont Vermont attorneys general Federalist Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Vermont People from colonial Connecticut Continental Army soldiers People of Connecticut in the American Revolution American lawyers admitted to the practice of law by reading law 19th-century American lawyers 18th-century members of the United States House of Representatives Candidates in the 1790–1791 United States elections