Samuel Chandler Crafts (October 6, 1768November 19, 1853) was a

United States representative 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 ...

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

and the 12th governor of Vermont.

Early life

Born in

Woodstock The Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held from August 15 to 18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, southwest of the town of Woodstock, New York, Woodstock. Billed as "a ...

in the

Colony of Connecticut The Connecticut Colony, originally known as the Connecticut River Colony, was an English colony in New England which later became the state of Connecticut. It was organized on March 3, 1636, as a settlement for a Puritan congregation of settlers ...

, Crafts graduated from

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate education, undergraduate college of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Part of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Scienc ...

in 1790 and moved to Vermont with his parents Mehitible Chandler (sister of the painter

Winthrop Chandler Winthrop Chandler (April 6, 1747July 29, 1790) was an American artist known for his portraits, mainly of family members and neighbors, and a few landscapes. He also worked as an ornamental artist. Life Chandler was born on the family farm, Cha ...

), and Ebenezer Crafts, who founded the town of Craftsbury by settling there in 1791. He married Eunice Todd Beardsley and the couple had two children.

Career

Crafts was

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 1799 to 1829 and was a delegate to 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 ...

al convention in 1793 where he was the youngest member. He was a member of 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 ...

in 1796, 1800–1803, and 1805, and was clerk of the house in 1798–1799. He was register of

probate In common law jurisdictions, probate is the judicial process whereby a will is "proved" in a court of law and accepted as a valid public document that is the true last testament of the deceased; or whereby, in the absence of a legal will, the e ...

from 1796 to 1815 and was assistant judge of the Orleans County Court from 1800 to 1810 and 1825 to 1828. Crafts made an extensive

botanical Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who s ...

reconnaissance of the

Mississippi Valley The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

in 1802. He was a member of the State Council of Censors from 1809 to 1813. This Council consisted of twelve men and shared executive power with the Governor. He was Chief Judge of the Orleans County Court from 1810 to 1816. Crafts was elected to the Fifteenth and to the three succeeding Congresses, serving from March 4, 1817, to March 3, 1825. He again served as a member of the governor's council in 1825 and 1826. Crafts was

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 ...

from 1828 to 1831. When he was a member of the

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 ...

constitutional convention of 1829, he served as its president. Crafts was clerk of Orleans County from 1836 to 1839. In 1842 he was appointed to the U.S. Senate seat vacated by the resignation of Samuel Prentiss. On October 26, 1842, he was elected to complete the remainder of Prentiss's term. Crafts served in the Senate from April 23, 1842, to March 3, 1843. He was not a candidate for a full term, and was succeeded by

William Upham William Upham (August 5, 1792January 14, 1853) was an American attorney and politician from Montpelier, Vermont. He was most notable for his service as a United States senator from Vermont. A native of Leicester, Massachusetts, Upham was rai ...

Death

Samuel Crafts retired to his farm in Craftsbury where he died in 1853. He is interred at North Craftsbury Cemetery, North Craftsbury.

References

External links

*
National Governors Association
{{DEFAULTSORT:Crafts, Samuel C. 1768 births 1853 deaths People from Woodstock, Connecticut Vermont Whigs Governors of Vermont United States senators from Vermont Members of the Vermont House of Representatives Vermont state court judges Leicester Academy alumni Harvard College alumni Vermont National Republicans Whig Party United States senators People from Craftsbury, Vermont Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Vermont National Republican Party state governors of the United States 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century United States senators 19th-century members of the Vermont General Assembly