Horace Eaton (June 22, 1804 – July 4, 1855) was an American Whig politician, a medical doctor, the 14th

lieutenant governor of Vermont The lieutenant governor of Vermont is elected for a two-year term and chosen separately from the Governor of Vermont, governor. The Vermont lieutenant governor's main responsibilities include acting as governor when the governor is out of state o ...

, and the 18th

governor of Vermont The governor of Vermont is the head of government of the U.S. state of Vermont. The officeholder is elected in even-numbered years by direct voting for a term of two years. Vermont and bordering New Hampshire are the only states to hold guberna ...

Biography

Eaton was born in

Barnard, Vermont Barnard is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. 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 De ...

, on June 22, 1804. He graduated from

Middlebury College Middlebury College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Middlebury, Vermont, United States. Founded in 1800 by Congregationalism in the United States, Congregationalists, Middlebury w ...

in 1825, taught at Middlebury Academy for two years, then moved to

Enosburg Enosburgh is a town in Franklin County, Vermont, in the United States. The population was 2,810 at the 2020 census. Enosburgh includes the village of Enosburg Falls and the settlements of Bordoville, East Enosburgh, North Enosburgh, Sampsonvil ...

, a village in

Berkshire, Vermont Berkshire is a town in Franklin County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,547 at the 2020 census. It contains the unincorporated village of East Berkshire. Geography Berkshire is located in northeastern Franklin County. Its northern ...

, where his father practiced medicine. He studied with his father while attending

Castleton Medical College The Castleton Medical College Building, now known as the Old Chapel, is a historic building of the Castleton Medical College on Seminary Street in Castleton, Vermont, United States. Founded in 1818, it was the first medical college in Vermont, a ...

; Eaton graduated in 1828, and then joined his father's practice. He was married twice; first to Cordelia H. Fuller with whom he had two children, and then to Edna Palmer.

Career

Eaton was town clerk of Enosburg. He was a member of 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 1837 and from 1839 to 1843. Eaton was elected the

and served from 1843 to 1846. Eaton served as the eighteenth

from 1846 to 1848. He was a delegate to the state Constitutional Convention in 1848. During his administration, he opposed the admission of slave states to the Union and to the

Mexican War Mexican War may refer to: *Mexican War of Independence (1810–21) *Mexican–American War (1846–48) *Second French intervention in Mexico (1861–67) *Mexican Revolution (1910–20) *Cristero War (1926–1929) See also *List of wars involving Me ...

. Eaton played a key role in the creation of the state

Superintendent of Public Instruction A state education agency or state department of education is the state-level government organization within each U.S. state or U.S. territory, territory responsible for education, including providing information, resources, and technical assistan ...

position, and he was the first one to hold it, serving from 1845 to 1850. In 1848 he was appointed professor of chemistry and natural history at Middlebury, and held the chair until 1855.

Death

Eaton died in

Middlebury, Vermont Middlebury is the shire town (county seat) of Addison County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,152. Middlebury is home to Middlebury College and the Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History and the adjacent ...

, on July 4, 1855, the 79th anniversary of American independence; and is interred at Enosburg Center Cemetery in Enosburg, Vermont.

References

External links

Horace Eaton
at ''The Political Graveyard''

at ''National Governors Association'' * {{DEFAULTSORT:Eaton, Horace 1804 births 1855 deaths Governors of Vermont Vermont Whigs Middlebury College alumni Politicians from Windsor County, Vermont People from Windsor County, Vermont People from Enosburgh, Vermont Vermont state senators Presidents pro tempore of the Vermont Senate Lieutenant governors of Vermont Whig Party state governors of the United States 19th-century members of the Vermont General Assembly