Winston Lewis Prouty (September 1, 1906September 10, 1971) was an American banker and Republican politician who represented

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 ...

in 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 ...

from 1951 to 1959 and the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

from 1959 until his death in 1971. He also served as mayor of the city of

Newport Newport most commonly refers to: *Newport, Wales *Newport, Rhode Island, US Newport or New Port may also refer to: Places Asia *Newport City, Metro Manila, a Philippine district in Pasay * Newport (Vietnam), a United States Army and Army of t ...

and 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 ...

. He was elected Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives from 1947 to 1949.

Early life and education

Winston Prouty was born in

, to Willard Robert and Margaret (née Lockhart) Prouty. His family owned Prouty & Miller Lumber Company, a lumber and building material business. His family was also involved in politics; his father and grandfather both served as state legislators. His uncle Charles A. Prouty was a member of the

Interstate Commerce Commission The Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) was a regulatory agency in the United States created by the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887. The agency's original purpose was to regulate railroads (and later Trucking industry in the United States, truc ...

, and another uncle, George H. Prouty served as

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 1908 to 1910. Prouty received his early education at public schools in Newport, and attended St. Paul's School in

Garden City, New York Garden City is a village located in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 23,272 at the time of the 2020 census. The Incorporated Village of Garden City is primarily located within the Town of Hempstead ...

and

Bordentown Military Institute The Bordentown Military Institute was a private high school in Bordentown, New Jersey, United States, from 1881 to 1973. History The institute was created in 1881, when Reverend William Bowen (minister), William Bowen purchased the Spring Villa F ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

. He then studied engineering at

Lafayette College Lafayette College is a private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Easton, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1826 by James Madison Porter and other citizens in Easton, the college first held classes in 18 ...

in Easton,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

, from 1925 to 1927. During his college years, he became a member of the

Delta Upsilon Delta Upsilon (), commonly known as DU, is a collegiate men's fraternity founded on November 4, 1834, at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It is the sixth-oldest, all-male, college Greek-letter organization founded in North America ...

fraternity.

Early career

Prouty returned to Newport and joined his family's business, Prouty & Miller. He also served as a director of the National Bank of Newport and Associated Industries of Vermont. Though described as shy and reticent, in part because he was self-conscious about the loss of his right thumb in an accident at his family's business, Prouty decided on a career in politics. A Republican, he was a member of the Newport City Council from 1933 to 1937. He served as

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

of Newport from 1938 to 1941. He was elected to the

in 1940, and served from 1941 to 1949. During his last two years in the legislature, he served as

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 ...

. He was an unsuccessful candidate for the Republican nomination for

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 ...

in 1948, losing to Harold J. Arthur. From 1949 to 1950, he served as chairman of the state Water Conservation Board.

Congressional career

House of Representatives

After longtime incumbent

Charles Albert Plumley Charles Albert Plumley (April 14, 1875 – October 31, 1964) was an American lawyer and politician. He served as a Republican U.S. Representative from Vermont, and was the son of U.S. Representative Frank Plumley. Biography Plumley was born in ...

decided not to run in 1950, Prouty announced his candidacy for the

from Vermont's At-large congressional district. He won the Republican nomination in a four-way race that included Governor Arthur. In the general election, he defeated his Democratic opponent, Herbert B. Comings, by a margin of 73%-26%. He was subsequently re-elected to three more terms, never receiving less than 61% of the vote. During his tenure in the House, Prouty served as a member of the Veterans Affairs Committee and House Foreign Affairs Committee. He was an advocate for the creation of the

Saint Lawrence Seaway The St. Lawrence Seaway () is a system of rivers, locks, canals and channels in Eastern Canada and Northern United States that permits oceangoing vessels to travel from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes of North America, as far inland ...

. During his tenure in the House, Prouty voted in favor of the

Civil Rights Act of 1957 The Civil Rights Act of 1957 was the first federal civil rights law passed by the United States Congress since the Civil Rights Act of 1875. The bill was passed by the 85th United States Congress and signed into law by President Dwight D. E ...

Senate

He was elected to the

in 1958; he was reelected in 1964 and 1970 and served from January 3, 1959, until his death. In the Senate, Prouty's committee assignments included District of Columbia, Rules, Labor and Public Welfare, and Commerce, in addition to the Special Committee on Aging and the Select Committee on Small Business. Issues with which he was identified included federal aid for school construction, federal funding of courses for students with special needs, arts and music education, and senior citizen needs to include health care and expansion of Social Security eligibility. In addition, he was a longtime advocate for returning passenger rail service to Vermont. As the ranking Republican on the District of Columbia Committee, Prouty sponsored the legislation that created the district's Delegate to Congress. During his tenure in the Senate, Prouty voted in favor of the Civil Rights Acts of 1960,

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...

, and

1968 Events January–February * January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously. * January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...

, as well as the 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, the

Voting Rights Act of 1965 The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of federal legislation in the United States that prohibits racial discrimination in voting. It was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson during the height of the civil rights move ...

, and the confirmation of

Thurgood Marshall Thoroughgood "Thurgood" Marshall (July 2, 1908 – January 24, 1993) was an American civil rights lawyer and jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1967 until 1991. He was the Supreme C ...

to the

U.S. Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that turn on question ...

Death and burial

Prouty died from the effects of gastric cancer at New England Deaconess Hospital in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

on September 10, 1971. He was buried at Pine Grove Cemetery in Newport.

Family

In 1939, Prouty married Frances Currie Hearle Backus (1907–1960) of

Stanstead, Quebec Stanstead is a city (Quebec), town in the Memphrémagog Regional County Municipality in the Estrie region of Quebec, located on the Canada–United States border across from Derby Line, Vermont, Derby Line, Vermont. The Town of Stanstead was c ...

, who was the mother of three daughters from a previous marriage, Currie, Elizabeth, and Ann. She died in 1960, and in 1962, Prouty married Jennette Herbert Hall (1913–2002), who had been the chief aide to Congressmen

Henry J. Latham Henry Jepson Latham (December 10, 1908 – June 26, 2002) was an American attorney, politician, and jurist from New York. A Republican, he served in the New York State Assembly from 1941 to 1942, the United States House of Representatives from 19 ...

of New York and Robert E. Cook of Ohio.

Honors

In 1966, Prouty 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 Lafayette College.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Prouty, Winston L. 1906 births 1971 deaths Bordentown Military Institute alumni Lafayette College alumni People from Newport (city), Vermont Republican Party members of the Vermont House of Representatives Deaths from stomach cancer in Massachusetts Republican Party United States senators from Vermont Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Vermont Speakers of the Vermont House of Representatives 20th-century United States senators 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 20th-century members of the Vermont General Assembly Delta Upsilon members