Joseph D. Hatch (January 21, 1811 - May 21, 1898) was a Vermont politician and businessman. He was most notable for terms 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 ...

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 ...

, and for serving as

mayor of Burlington The following is a list of mayors of Burlington, Vermont. The 43rd and current mayor is Emma Mulvaney-Stanak, elected in 2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Rus ...

from 1876 to 1883.

Early life

Joseph Denison Hatch (frequently abbreviated as Jo. D. Hatch and J. D. Hatch) was born in

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 ...

on January 21, 1811, a son of Reuben and Eunice (Denison) Hatch. He attended the schools of Norwich and was a student at

Norwich University Norwich University is a private university in Northfield, Vermont, United States. The university was founded in 1819 as the "American Literary, Scientific and Military Academy". It is the oldest of six senior military college, senior militar ...

from 1823 to 1826. He then began attendance at

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 ...

, from which he received his

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree in 1830. After finishing his college studies, Hatch settled in

Windsor, Vermont Windsor is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. As the "Birthplace of Vermont", the town is where the Constitution of Vermont was adopted in 1777, thus marking the founding of the Vermont Republic, a sovereign state until 1791, when ...

, where he operated a successful general store in partnership with his brother Albert. After Albert Hatch's 1859 death, Joseph Hatch operated the store as the sole partner until he moved to Burlington. He was active in politics as a Whig and later as a Republican, and represented Windsor in the

from 1853 to 1855 and Windsor County in the

from 1857 to 1859.

Later career

In 1861, Hatch moved to Burlington, where he became an investor in the

Central Vermont Railway The Central Vermont Railway was a railroad that operated in the U.S. states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont, as well as the Canadian province of Quebec. It connected Montreal, Quebec, with New London, Connect ...

and the Vermont and Canada Railroad. He also became active in Burlington's government, serving on the board of aldermen from 1870 to 1876. Hatch served as mayor from 1876 to 1883, and frequently ran for reelection with the endorsement of both Republicans and Democrats. As the city's chief executive, Hatch received credit for reductions in the city tax rate and its bonded debt. In addition, he was credited with the creation of a sinking fund, which the city used to finance future projects, enabling it to avoid incurring additional debt.

Death and burial

Hatch died in Burlington on May 21, 1898. His funeral took place at Burlington's Cathedral Church of St. Paul. Attendees included

Edward Curtis Smith Edward Curtis Smith (January 5, 1854 – April 6, 1935) was an American attorney, businessman, and politician from Vermont. A Republican, he was most notable for his service as the 47th governor of Vermont from 1898 to 1900. Early life Edward Cu ...

Farrand Stewart Stranahan Farrand Stewart Stranahan (February 2, 1842 – July 13, 1904) was an American Civil War veteran, a railroad executive, a banker, and a U.S. politician of the Republican Party. Early life Stranahan was born in Manhattan, New York City, the ...

, and Urban A. Woodbury. Hatch 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, 1832, Hatch married Frances Spooner Forbes (1812-1883) of Windsor. They were the parents of four children. Frances Elizabeth (1833-1860) was the wife of Isaac Green. Pattie (1839-1923) was the wife of Daniel Chipman Linsley. William was born and died in 1846. Josephine (1847-1936) married Rodney S. Wires.

References

Sources

Books

* *

Newspapers

* * *

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hatch, Joseph D. 1811 births 1898 deaths People from Norwich, Vermont People from Windsor, Vermont Dartmouth College alumni Vermont Whigs Vermont Republicans 19th-century mayors of places in Vermont Mayors of Burlington, Vermont Members of the Vermont House of Representatives Vermont state senators Burials at Lakeview Cemetery (Burlington, Vermont) 19th-century members of the Vermont General Assembly