Lebbeus Egerton (May 4, 1773 – August 18, 1846) was a

militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...

officer and farmer who served as the tenth lieutenant governor of Vermont from 1831 to 1835.

Biography

Lebbeus Egerton was born in

Norwich, Connecticut Norwich ( ) is a city in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The Yantic River, Yantic, Shetucket River, Shetucket, and Quinebaug Rivers flow into the city and form its harbor, from which the Thames River (Connecticut), Thames River f ...

, on May 4, 1773. His family moved to

Randolph, Vermont Randolph is a town in Orange County, Vermont, United States. The population was 4,774 at the 2020 census, making Randolph the largest town in Orange County. The town is a commercial center for many of the smaller, rural farming communities that ...

, in the early 1780s and Egerton became a farmer. During the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

Egerton served as a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

. Initially commissioned in the 31st United States Infantry Regiment, Egerton subsequently raised and commanded a company in the Vermont militia during the Plattsburgh campaign, with

Martin Flint Martin Flint (January 12, 1782 – February 27, 1855) was a Vermont political and military figure who served in the Vermont House of Representatives and as State adjutant general, Adjutant General of the Vermont National Guard, Vermont Militia ...

as his second in command. Egerton later served as

adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an Officer (armed forces), officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of “human resources” in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed ...

of a regiment. Egerton served 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 ...

from 1825 to 1827, and was a delegate to the 1828 Vermont constitutional convention. He was Randolph's

Town Clerk A clerk (pronounced "clark" /klɑːk/ in British and Australian English) is a senior official of many municipal governments in the English-speaking world. In some communities, including most in the United States, the position is elected, but in ma ...

from 1830 to 1833. During his life Egerton also served in other local offices, including town

Selectman The select board or board of selectmen is commonly the executive arm of the government of New England towns in the United States. The board typically consists of three or five members, with or without staggered terms. Three is the most common numb ...

. Active as an Anti-Mason, in 1831 Egerton was elected Lieutenant Governor and he served until 1835. Because the annual elections were three way races, Egerton did not receive the majority required by the

Vermont constitution The Constitution of the State of Vermont is the fundamental body of law of the U.S. state of Vermont, describing and framing its government. It was adopted in 1793 following Vermont's admission to the Union in 1791 and is largely based upon th ...

, so he was chosen each year by the

Vermont Legislature The Vermont General Assembly is the legislative body of the state of Vermont, in the United States. The Legislature is formally known as the "General Assembly", but the style of "Legislature" is commonly used, including by the body itself. The G ...

. During the early to mid-1830s Egerton was responsible for designing and overseeing construction of the second

Vermont State House The Vermont State House, located in Montpelier, is the state capitol of the U.S. state of Vermont. It is the seat of the Vermont General Assembly. The current Greek Revival structure is the third building on the same site to be used as the ...

. From 1837 to 1838 and 1839 to 1840, Egerton served in 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 ...

. Egerton died in Randolph on August 18, 1846, and was buried in Randolph Center Cemetery. His Randolph Center home still stands and is a privately owned residence.Newspaper column, Runnion in Montpelier: 'Mim' Herwig Brings a Smile To the Vermont State House
by Norman Runnion, Randolph Herald, February 2, 2006

Other

His first name is sometimes written "Lebberis", "Libbeus" or "Lebbons", and his surname sometimes appears in records as "Edgerton".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Egerton, Lebbeus 1773 births 1846 deaths Lieutenant governors of Vermont Vermont state senators Members of the Vermont House of Representatives People from Randolph, Vermont American militiamen in the War of 1812 Anti-Masonic Party politicians from Vermont United States Army personnel of the War of 1812 19th-century members of the Vermont General Assembly