Zedekiah Silloway Stanton (May 1, 1848 – August 15, 1921) was an attorney and
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 ...
who served as the
44th lieutenant governor of Vermont from 1902 to 1904.
Early life
Zed S. Stanton was born in
Roxbury, Vermont
Roxbury is a town in Washington County, Vermont, United States, created by Vermont charter on August 6, 1781. The population was 678 at the 2020 census.
Geography and wildlife
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a tot ...
, on May 1, 1848, the son of George B. Stanton and Lucretia Silloway. He was educated in Roxbury and graduated from
Northfield High School. Stanton worked for the
Vermont Central Railroad
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 ...
and taught school for several years. He then
studied law with
Congressman
A member of congress (MOC), also known as a congressman or congresswoman, is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official body called a congress, typically to represent a particular constituency in a legislature. The t ...
Frank Plumley and two other local lawyers, 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 1880, and became an
attorney in Roxbury.
Political career
Stanton was active in the
Republican Party and served in several local offices, including
Justice of the Peace,
Town Meeting Moderator,
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 ...
and
Treasurer
A treasurer is a person responsible for the financial operations of a government, business, or other organization.
Government
The treasury of a country is the department responsible for the country's economy, finance and revenue. The treasure ...
,
School Superintendent
In the American education system, a superintendent or superintendent of schools is an administrator or manager in charge of a number of public schools or a school district, a local government body overseeing public schools. All school principal ...
, and
school board
A board of education, school committee or school board is the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or an equivalent institution.
The elected council determines the educational policy in a small regional area, ...
member. He also served as
Washington County Assistant Judge from 1884 to 1888.
He was elected to 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 1884 and 1886. From 1890 to 1896 he was Washington County
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 ...
; he was succeeded by
Fred A. Howland. He served as a state Railroad Commissioner from 1896 to 1898 and was Commission Chairman from 1897 to 1898. Stanton won election to 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 ...
in 1900. In 1902 he won election as Lieutenant Governor and served until 1904. Because a
Local Option
A local option is the ability of local political jurisdictions, typically counties or municipalities, to allow decisions on certain controversial issues within their borders, usually referring to a popular vote. It usually relates to the issue of ...
candidate made the election a three-way race Stanton with 47.2% did not receive the popular vote majority required by the Vermont constitution, so he was officially chosen by the state legislature.
In 1908 Stanton was narrowly defeated for the Republican nomination for Governor by
George H. Prouty.
Later career
After losing the nomination for Governor Stanton was elected by the
Vermont Assembly to serve as a Judge of the Superior Court, filling the vacancy created when Chief Judge
Seneca Haselton
Seneca Haselton (February 26, 1848 – July 21, 1921) was a Vermont educator, attorney and politician. He is notable for his service as mayor of Burlington, Vermont (1891–1894), U.S. Minister to Venezuela (1894–1895), and an associate justi ...
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 judges advanced in seniority. He remained on the bench until his death, and attained by seniority the position of chief judge of the Superior Court. He was succeeded as chief judge by
Fred M. Butler, who later served as an associate justice of 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 ...
. He was succeeded as a judge on the Superior Court by
Julius A. Willcox, who also later served on 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 ...
.
Death and burial
Stanton died in Roxbury on August 15, 1921.
Other
In 1895 Stanton received an
honorary master's degree from
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 ...
.
Who's Who in New England
by Albert Nelson Marquis, Volume 1, 1909, page 879
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stanton, Zed S.
1848 births
1921 deaths
Vermont lawyers
State's attorneys in Vermont
Republican Party members of the Vermont House of Representatives
Republican Party Vermont state senators
Lieutenant governors of Vermont
People from Roxbury, Vermont
Vermont state court judges
Norwich University alumni
19th-century American lawyers
19th-century members of the Vermont General Assembly
20th-century members of the Vermont General Assembly