Elias Keyes (April 14, 1758July 9, 1844) was an American politician and judge. He served as a

U.S. Representative 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 c ...

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 the ...

Biography

Keyes was born in

Ashford Ashford may refer to: Places Australia * Ashford, New South Wales * Ashford, South Australia * Electoral district of Ashford, South Australia Ireland * Ashford, County Wicklow * Ashford Castle, County Galway United Kingdom *Ashford, Kent, a tow ...

in the

Connecticut Colony The ''Connecticut Colony'' or ''Colony of Connecticut'', originally known as the Connecticut River Colony or simply the River Colony, was an English colony in New England which later became Connecticut. It was organized on March 3, 1636 as a settl ...

. He attended the

common school A common school was a public school in the United States during the 19th century. Horace Mann (1796–1859) was a strong advocate for public education and the common school. In 1837, the state of Massachusetts appointed Mann as the first secretary ...

s and later

read law Reading law was the 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 under th ...

. Keyes enlisted in the Continental Army during the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolu ...

, and rose to the rank of

sergeant major Sergeant major is a senior non-commissioned rank or appointment in many militaries around the world. History In 16th century Spain, the ("sergeant major") was a general officer. He commanded an army's infantry, and ranked about third in t ...

. In 1780 he moved to

Barnard, Vermont Barnard is a town in Windsor County, Vermont. The population was 992 at the 2020 census. The town has two unincorporated villages: Barnard and East Barnard, along with the hamlets of Newcombsville, Mountain Meadows, and Fort Defiance.https://ww ...

. In 1785, he accepted an offer of 400 acres for whoever constructed the first gristmill and sawmill in

Stockbridge, Vermont Stockbridge is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States, which contains the village of Gaysville. The population was 718 at the 2020 census. Stockbridge was one of thirteen Vermont towns isolated by flooding caused by Hurricane Irene in ...

, and he was one of the town's first settlers. Keyes served in the

Vermont House of Representatives The Vermont House of Representatives is the lower house of the Vermont General Assembly, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The House comprises 150 members, with each member representing around 4 ...

from 1793 until 1796, 1798 until 1802, 1818, 1820 and 1823 until 1825. He was a member of the

Governor's council The governments of the Thirteen Colonies of British America developed in the 17th and 18th centuries under the influence of the British constitution. After the Thirteen Colonies had become the United States, the experience under colonial rule would ...

from 1805 until 1813 and from 1815 until 1817. In 1814 Keyes was a member of the Vermont state constitutional convention. From 1803 until 1814 he served as

assistant judge Assistant may refer to: * Assistant (by Speaktoit), a virtual assistant app for smartphones * Assistant (software), a software tool to assist in computer configuration * Google Assistant, a virtual assistant by Google * ''The Assistant'' (TV se ...

of the

Windsor County, Vermont Windsor County is a county located in the U.S. state of Vermont. As of the 2020 census, the population was 57,753. The shire town (county seat) is the town of Woodstock. The county's largest municipality is the town of Hartford. History Winds ...

Court, and from 1815 until 1818 he served as judge of Windsor County. Keyes was elected a

Democratic-Republican The Democratic-Republican Party, known at the time as the Republican Party and also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party among other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early ...

to the

Seventeenth United States Congress The 17th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. While its term was officially March 4, 1821, t ...

, serving from March 4, 1821 until March 3, 1823. Business reverses and debts after his term in Congress caused Keyes to move to

Norfolk, New York Norfolk () is a town in St. Lawrence County in the U.S. state of New York. The town is in the northern part of the county and is north of Potsdam. The population was 4,668 at the 2010 census. History The town was first settled around 1869. T ...

. He later returned to Stockbridge and was able to restart his gristmill and sawmill. He died in Stockbridge on July 9, 1844, and was interred in Stockbridge's Maplewood Cemetery.

References

External links

Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
*
Govtrack.us

{{DEFAULTSORT:Keyes, Elias 1758 births 1844 deaths People from Ashford, Connecticut Vermont state court judges Members of the Vermont House of Representatives Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Vermont People of colonial Connecticut Burials in Vermont American lawyers admitted to the practice of law by reading law

Biography

References

Further reading

External links