Martin Flint (January 12, 1782 – February 27, 1855) was a

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 ...

political and military figure who 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 ...

and as Adjutant General of the Vermont Militia.

Early life

Martin Flint was born in

Hampton, Connecticut Hampton is a New England town, town in Windham County, Connecticut, Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut, Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region. The populatio ...

on January 12, 1782. He was three years old when is family moved to Vermont, and he completed only a limited education before the death of his father required him to take over operation of the family's

Randolph Randolph may refer to: Places In the United States * Randolph, Alabama, an unincorporated community * Randolph, Arizona, a populated place * Randolph, California, a village merged into the city of Brea * Randolph, Illinois, an unincorporated com ...

farm.

War of 1812

Flint helped to raise and equip 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 ...

company for 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 ...

. Lebbeus Egerton was the commander, and Flint was second in command with the rank of

First Lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...

. Flint served in the Defense of Plattsburgh during the British invasion.

Later career

In 1816 Flint lost the sight in his right eye as the result of a prolonged illness, but after his recovery he resumed management of his farm. He was originally active in Vermont's Masons, but in the 1830s he made a public renunciation of his Masonic membership and became a leader of the

Anti-Masonic Party The Anti-Masonic Party was the earliest Third party (United States), third party in the United States. Formally a Single-issue politics, single-issue party, it strongly opposed Freemasonry in the United States. It was active from the late 1820s, ...

. From 1831 to 1835 he served as an Anti-Mason in the Vermont House of Representatives, and in 1836 he was a member of the Governor's Council. In 1836 Flint was also an unsuccessful candidate for the

United States House of Representatives 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 ...

, losing the 3rd District election to Horace Everett, the Whig and

Alden Partridge Alden Partridge (February 12, 1785 – January 17, 1854) was an American author, legislator, officer, surveyor, an early superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York and a controversial pioneer in U.S. milita ...

running as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

. Flint maintained his membership in the militia, and advanced to the rank of

Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

. In 1833 he succeeded Isaac Fletcher as adjutant general. He was succeeded in 1837 by Frederic Williams Hopkins. In 1839 Flint was elected Sheriff of Orange County, but declined the office. From 1841 to 1844 he served as Orange County Assistant Judge.

Death and burial

Flint continued to operate his farm into the 1850s. In his later years his health declined, and he sometimes suffered from dementia. He died in Randolph on February 27, 1855, and was buried in Randolph Center Cemetery.

Family

Martin Flint was married twice. His first wife was Chloe Burnett (1774-1811). After her death he married Asenath Morse (1784-1874). Asenath Morse was a niece of

Dudley Chase Dudley Chase (December 30, 1771February 23, 1846) was a U.S. Senator from Vermont who served from 1813 to 1817 and again from 1825 to 1831. He was born in Cornish, New Hampshire. Career After graduating from Dartmouth College in 1791, he stu ...

and

Philander Chase Philander Chase (December 14, 1775 – September 20, 1852) was an Episcopal Church bishop, educator, and pioneer of the United States western frontier, especially in Ohio and Illinois. Early life and family Born in Cornish, New Hampshire, t ...

, and a cousin of

Salmon P. Chase Salmon Portland Chase (January 13, 1808May 7, 1873) was an American politician and jurist who served as the sixth chief justice of the United States from 1864 to his death in 1873. Chase served as the 23rd governor of Ohio from 1856 to 1860, r ...

. Flint had seven children, three with Chloe and four with Asenath. They included: :Martin M. Flint (1816-1897), a

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 ...

graduate who was an officer in the 40th and 60th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry regiments during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, and later farmed in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

and

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

; Martin Monroe Flint was married to Eliza Chase, a granddaughter of Philander Chase. :John Morse Flint (1822-1895), a teacher and school superintendent who later relocated to

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

and served in the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The Assembly is controlled by the Republican ...

.Edwin Waldo Flint, The Flint Heritage, page 54

References

External resources

Martin Flint
a

{{DEFAULTSORT:Flint, Martin 1782 births 1855 deaths People from Hampton, Connecticut Anti-Masonic Party politicians from Vermont Members of the Vermont House of Representatives People from Randolph, Vermont American militiamen in the War of 1812 American militia officers Vermont state court judges 19th-century Vermont state court judges 19th-century members of the Vermont General Assembly