Stanley Calef Wilson (September 10, 1879 – October 5, 1967) was an

American politician In the United States, politics functions within a framework of a constitutional federal democratic republic with a presidential system. The three distinct branches share powers: Congress, which forms the legislative branch, a bicameral legis ...

, attorney, and businessman from

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 ...

. He served as the 57th lieutenant governor of Vermont from 1929 to 1931 and the 62nd governor of Vermont from 1931 to 1935. A native of

Orange, Vermont Orange is a town in Orange County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,048 at the 2020 census. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 39.0 square miles (101.0 km2), of which 38.8& ...

, Wilson graduated from

Tufts University Tufts University is a private research university in Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts, United States, with additional facilities in Boston and Grafton, as well as Talloires, France. Tufts also has several Doctor of Physical Therapy p ...

, studied law, attained admission to the bar, and became an attorney in Chelsea. He served in local offices and was

State's Attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, county prosecutor, state attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or solicitor is the chief prosecutor or chief law enforcement officer represen ...

of Orange County for four years. He was Chairman of the

Vermont Republican Party The Vermont Republican Party is the affiliate of the Republican Party in Vermont and has been active since its foundation in the 1860s. The party is the second largest in the state behind the Vermont Democratic Party, but ahead of the Vermont ...

from 1914 to 1917. From 1915 to 1917, Wilson 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 he was

Speaker of the House The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hung ...

in 1917. From 1917 to 1923, Wilson was a judge on the Vermont Superior Court. He was president of the

Vermont Bar Association The Vermont Bar Association (VBA) is a voluntary bar association for the state of Vermont. History Founded in September 1878 in Montpelier, the Vermont Bar Association remains the only professional organization for lawyers, judges, paralegals ...

from 1924 to 1925, and he served in the Vermont House again from 1925 to 1927. From 1927 to 1929, Wilson 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 ...

. He was

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 ...

from 1929 to 1931. In 1930, Wilson was elected

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 ...

. He was re-elected in 1932 and served from 1931 to 1935. After leaving office, he resumed practicing law and was involved in several business ventures. He died in Chelsea in 1967 and was buried at Highland Cemetery in Chelsea.

Early life

Stanley C. Wilson was born in

, on September 10, 1879, the son of William W. Wilson (1835–1912) and Lydia (Browning) Wilson (1841–1923). He graduated from Goddard Seminary in Barre in 1896, and then taught school for a year to save enough to begin attending college. In 1897, he became a student at

, 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 1901. After college, Wilson was a reporter for the ''Montpelier Daily Journal'' and worked as Deputy Clerk of the Washington County Court and Reporter for the

. In addition, he served in the

National Guard National guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. ...

for three years as a private in Company H, 1st Vermont Infantry Regiment. Wilson also studied law, first with the firm of William P. Dillingham and Fred A. Howland, and later with

Zed S. Stanton Zedekiah Silloway Stanton (May 1, 1848 – August 15, 1921) was an attorney and judge who served as the 44th lieutenant governor of Vermont from 1902 to 1904. Early life Zed S. Stanton was born in Roxbury, Vermont, on May 1, 1848, the son o ...

. He was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1904, and went into partnership with Benjamin Gates of Montpelier. Wilson later moved to Chelsea to become the partner of Joseph K. Darling, and took over the practice after Darling died in 1910. He later practiced with other partners, and for several years maintained offices in Chelsea,

White River Junction White River Junction is an unincorporated village and census-designated place (CDP) in the New England town, town of Hartford, Vermont, Hartford in Windsor County, Vermont, Windsor County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,528 at the ...

, and Montpelier.

Start of political career

A Republican, Wilson served in local offices including town meeting moderator and selectman. He was elected

of Orange County in 1908, and was reelected in 1910. From 1914 to 1917 he was chairman of the

Vermont House of Representatives

He served in the Vermont House of Representatives from 1915 to 1917 and was chairman of the Ways and Means Committee. In 1917 he served as

Speaker Speaker most commonly refers to: * Speaker, a person who produces speech * Loudspeaker, a device that produces sound ** Computer speakers Speaker, Speakers, or The Speaker may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * "Speaker" (song), by David ...

following the resignation of

John E. Weeks John Eliakim Weeks (June 14, 1853 – September 10, 1949) was an American politician from Vermont. He served as the 61st governor of Vermont from 1927 to 1931. Early life Weeks was born in Salisbury, Vermont, on June 14, 1853, the son of Ebenez ...

, who was appointed Director of State Institutions. He resigned from the House upon being appointed to the bench.

Superior Court Judge

From 1917 to 1923 Wilson served as

Judge A judge is a person who wiktionary:preside, presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a judicial panel. In an adversarial system, the judge hears all the witnesses and any other Evidence (law), evidence presented by the barris ...

of the Vermont Superior Court, filling a vacancy created after Chief Judge Willard W. Miles was appointed to the

Vermont Supreme Court The Vermont Supreme Court is the highest judicial authority of the U.S. state of Vermont. Unlike most other states, the Vermont Supreme Court hears appeals directly from the trial courts, as Vermont has no intermediate appeals court. The court ...

, and the other superior court judges advanced by seniority. He resigned from the bench to campaign for the Republican nomination for

United States Senator The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress. Party affiliation Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...

following the death of William P. Dillingham, but lost to

Porter H. Dale Porter Hinman Dale (March 1, 1867October 6, 1933) was an American educator, lawyer, and politician who served as a member of both the United States House of Representatives from 1915 to 1923, and the United States Senate from Vermont from 1923 to ...

and John W. Redmond, with Dale going on to win the general election.

Return to the Vermont House

From 1924 to 1925, Wilson was president of the

. In 1925, he returned to the Vermont House, holding office until 1927. During this term, Wilson served as chairman of the House Appropriations Committee.

Vermont State Senate

Wilson served in the

from 1927 to 1929. He was chairman of the Judiciary Committee, which considered appointments to Vermont's state courts as well as review of and updates to Vermont's statutes. While serving in the senate, Wilson also carried out a gubernatorial appointment as chairman of a commission that developed plans for construction of a bridge over

Lake Champlain Lake Champlain ( ; , ) is a natural freshwater lake in North America. It mostly lies between the U.S. states of New York (state), New York and Vermont, but also extends north into the Canadian province of Quebec. The cities of Burlington, Ve ...

. In addition, Wilson carried out with Hale K. Darling an appointment as special counsel to defend the state's newly-enacted intangibles tax in court.

Lieutenant governor

In 1928 Wilson was elected Lieutenant Governor, and he served from 1929 to 1931. During his tenure as presiding officer, the state senate took the lead on legislation reorganizing 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 ...

, providing a loan to the West River Railway so that it could continue operations, modernizing the state banking system, appointing a commission to reduce and standardize electric rates, regulating billboards, and increasing the governor's salary.

Governor

In 1930 he won election as Governor and served two terms, 1931 to 1935. Wilson's two terms were marked by efforts to recover from the Flood of 1927, and to deal with the effects of the Great Depression. He was also a delegate to the

1932 Republican National Convention The 1932 Republican National Convention was held at Chicago Stadium in Chicago, Illinois, from June 14 to June 16, 1932. It nominated President Herbert Hoover and Vice President Charles Curtis for reelection. Hoover was virtually unopposed for ...

. In attaining the governorship, Wilson adhered to the provision of the Republican Party's "

Mountain Rule The governor of Vermont is the head of government of the U.S. state of Vermont. Since 1994, Vermont is one of only two U.S. states (New Hampshire being the other) that elects governors for two-year terms. Until 1870, Vermont elected its governors ...

," which required candidates to alternate between the east and west sides of the

Green Mountains The Green Mountains are a mountain range in the U.S. state of Vermont and are a subrange of the Appalachian Mountains. The range runs primarily south to north and extends approximately from the border with Massachusetts to the border with Que ...

. However Wilson also ran for a second term, as had his predecessor

. A second term violated the Mountain Rule provision that limited governors to two years in office. Weeks argued that there needed to be continuity in office so that the state could continue its efforts to recover from the 1927 flood. Wilson argued that he needed to both continue flood recovery efforts and to combat the negative economic effects of the Great Depression, and his reelection served to modify the Mountain Rule. Beginning with Weeks and Wilson, two terms (four years) in office became more or less standard. Along with changes including the direct election of

s and party primary elections, Weeks's and Wilson's willingness to go against tradition were seen as further eroding the Mountain Rule, one of the primary tools for maintaining discipline within the ranks of the Republican Party. Wilson stated in later interviews that he regarded the passage of the state income tax as his greatest accomplishment as governor because it added stability to the state's economy. The income tax was preferred to other means of raising revenue because personal income was easier for the state to locate than other sources. As a result of the income tax's success, the state was able to eliminate the state highway tax, education property tax, intangibles tax, and general statewide property tax.

Post gubernatorial career

After leaving the governor's office Wilson practiced law in Chelsea with F. Ray Keyser Sr., Deane C. Davis and J. Ward Carver. Their firm has been referred to by historians as Vermont's best ever collection of legal talent, in that it included two Governors (Wilson and Davis), one state

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...

(Carver), and one state

Supreme Court Justice The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest-ranking judicial body in the United States. Its membership, as set by the Judiciary Act of 1869, consists of the chief justice of the United States and eight associate justices, any six of ...

(Keyser). After this firm dissolved, Wilson continued to practice law in Chelsea.

Business career

Wilson owned and operated a working dairy farm. He was also active in numerous business ventures throughout his career, and a partial list includes: member of the board of directors of the National Bank of Orange County and Hartford Savings Bank and Trust Company; vice president and director of the Brocklebank Granite Company and Brocklebank Manufacturing Company; board member of the Green Mountain Mutual Fire Insurance Company, the Vermont Flood Credit Corporation, and the Orange County Creamery Company. Wilson was also president of the Gates Realty Company. In addition, he was a partner in the reorganization of the Vermont Copper Company, and served as its Secretary and President.

Civic activism

Wilson was an officer or director of numerous civic and professional organizations, including member of the board of directors of the

New England Council The New England Council is a regional business association representing both public and private organizations in the New England region of the United States. Established in 1925, it is the oldest regional business association in the United States ...

, and director of the Vermont Dairymen's Association, Vermont Maple Sugar Maker's Association, Vermont Forestry Association, and Orange County Farm Bureau. He was also a member of the executive committee for the Owl Council,

Boy Scouts of America Scouting America is the largest scouting organization and one of the largest List of youth organizations, youth organizations in the United States, with over 1 million youth, including nearly 200,000 female participants. Founded as the Boy Sco ...

. In addition, Wilson was active in

Modern Woodmen of America Modern Woodmen of America (MWA) is an American Benefit society, fraternal benefit society, which sells various investments and insurance products, with membership over 750,000 as of 2017. Total assets reached US$17.5 Billion 1,000,000,000 (numbe ...

and the Chelsea

Grange Grange may refer to: Buildings * Grange House, Scotland, built in 1564, and demolished in 1906 * Grange Estate, Pennsylvania, built in 1682 * The Grange (Toronto), Toronto, Ontario, built in 1817 * Monastic grange, a farming estate belonging to ...

organization. Long active in

Freemasonry Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

, Wilson's membership included: Chelsea's George Washington Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons; Whitney Chapter of

Royal Arch Masons Royal Arch Masonry (also known as "Capitular Masonry") is the first part of the American York Rite system of Masonic degrees. Royal Arch Masons meet as a ''Chapter'', and the Royal Arch Chapter confers four degrees: ''Mark Master Mason, Past Mas ...

( Randolph); Mt. Zion Commandery,

Knights Templar The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, mainly known as the Knights Templar, was a Military order (religious society), military order of the Catholic Church, Catholic faith, and one of the most important military ord ...

(Montpelier); and Mt. Sinai Temple,

Shriners Shriners International, formally known as the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (AAONMS), is an American Masonic body, Masonic society. Founded in 1872 in New York City, it is headquartered in Tampa, Florida, and has over ...

International (Montpelier). In 1952, Wilson was the driving force behind the establishment of a community hospital, the Chelsea Health Center, the first community-owned nonprofit health center in the nation. Wilson was also interested in higher education, and was an officer of the Tufts College Alumni Association. He served for over 50 years on the

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 ...

Board of Trustees, including 15 years as Chairman. In addition, he was an executive committee member for the Goddard Seminary board of directors.

Death and burial

Wilson died in Chelsea on October 5, 1967. He was buried at Highland Cemetery in Chelsea.

Family

In 1909, Wilson married Grace Goodwin Bacon Wilson (1879–1968). They were married until his death and had no children.

Honors

Norwich University's Wilson Hall is named in his honor. In addition, Wilson received the

honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...

LL.D. A Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) is a doctoral degree in legal studies. The abbreviation LL.D. stands for ''Legum Doctor'', with the double “L” in the abbreviation referring to the early practice in the University of Cambridge to teach both canon law ...

from

(1927),

(1931), and the

University of Vermont The University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, commonly referred to as the University of Vermont (UVM), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont, United States. Foun ...

(1932).

Sources

External links

The Political GraveyardFind A Grave page, Stanley Calef Wilson
accessed December 18, 2011 {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Stanley C. Lieutenant governors of Vermont Republican Party Vermont state senators Speakers of the Vermont House of Representatives Republican Party members of the Vermont House of Representatives Vermont lawyers Vermont state court judges Tufts University alumni 1879 births 1967 deaths Members of the Universalist Church of America 19th-century Christian universalists 20th-century Christian universalists Republican Party governors of Vermont State's attorneys in Vermont 20th-century members of the Vermont General Assembly