George H. Prouty

George Herbert Prouty
52nd Governor of Vermont
In office
October 8, 1908 – October 5, 1910
Lieutenant John A. Mead
Preceded by Fletcher D. Proctor
Succeeded by John A. Mead
45th Lieutenant Governor of Vermont
In office
October 4, 1906 – October 8, 1908
Governor Fletcher D. Proctor
Preceded by Charles H. Stearns
Succeeded by John A. Mead
Member of the Vermont Senate
In office
1904–1905
Member of the Vermont House of Representatives
In office
1896–1897
Personal details
Born (1862-03-04)March 4, 1862
Newport, Vermont
Died August 18, 1918(1918-08-18) (aged 56)
Waterville, Quebec
Political party Republican
Spouse(s) Henrietta Allen Prouty (1865 – 1929)
Profession Businessman

George Herbert Prouty (March 4, 1862 – August 18, 1918) of Newport, Orleans County, Vermont was a Republican member of the Vermont House of Representatives from 1896 to 1897; a member of Vermont State Senate from 1904 to 1906; the 45th Lieutenant Governor of Vermont from 1906 to 1908; the 52nd Governor of Vermont from 1908 to 1910; and Delegate to the 1916 Republican National Convention.

Biography

Born in Newport on March 4, 1862, Prouty was the son of John Azro Prouty and Hannah Barker Lamb Prouty. Besides his brother Charles, his siblings included brother Harley Hall Prouty and sister Nellie Barker Prouty, and two half-brothers, Edgar John Prouty and William Robert Prouty. William Robert Prouty was the father of Winston L. Prouty.[1]

Educated in the public schools of Newport, Prouty attended St. Johnsbury Academy,[2] graduated from Boston's Bryant & Stratton Commercial College, and was employed in the family business, Prouty and Miller, a sawmill and building supply company.[3][4] He married Henrietta "Nettie" Allen of Rockville, Connecticut, on December 1, 1890.[5] He was the uncle of United States Senator Winston Prouty, and the brother of Charles A. Prouty, Chairman of the Interstate Commerce Commission and the Progressive candidate for US Senator from Vermont in 1914.

Career

Active in the Republican party, he served in the Vermont House of Representatives from 1896 to 1897. From 1904 to 1905 he was a member of the Vermont State Senate and served as Senate President. Prouty served as Lieutenant Governor from 1906 to 1908.

Prouty was elected on the Republican ticket Governor of Vermont in 1908 and served from October 8, 1908 to October 5, 1910.[6] He favored employers' liability law, and during his administration, the state legislature adopted his suggestion to put the Vermont Railroad Commission under a Public Service Commission designed to supervise all public service corporations. In addition, a State Board of Education and a State Library Commission were founded.[7]

Prouty made news when he posted bail for his chauffeur, who had been accused of striking and killing a St. Hyacinthe, Quebec man in Burlington during celebrations for the Lake Champlain Tercentenary.[8][9][10]

During Prouty's governorship his Secretary of Civil and Military Affairs (chief assistant) was Aaron H. Grout. Aaron Grout was the son of former Governor Josiah Grout.[11]

Death and legacy

Prouty was killed in Waterville, Quebec on August 8, 1918 when his chauffeur driven car was hit by a train as he traveled from Newport to Lennoxville, Quebec to board a train he was going to take to a business meeting in Maine.[12][13][14][15] He is interred at East Main Street Cemetery, Newport, Orleans County, Vermont.[16]

George Prouty's home was commercially developed and operated for many years as the Governor Prouty Inn, and later turned into senior citizen housing called the Governor Prouty Apartments.[17][18]

References

  1. ↑ Charles Henry Pope, Prouty (Proute) Genealogy, 1910, pages vii, 124, 172
  2. ↑ George H. Prouty. Encyclopedia, Vermont Biography. Retrieved 14 November 2012.
  3. ↑ William Arba Ellis, editor, Norwich University, 1819-1911; Her History, Her Graduates, Her Roll of Honor, Volume 3, 1911, pages 36 to 37
  4. ↑ Charles S. Forbes, History of the Republican Party, The Vermonter magazine, June 1906, pages 180 to 181
  5. ↑ "George H. Prouty". The Political Graveyard. Retrieved 14 November 2012.
  6. ↑ Vermont Historical Society, Annual Meeting Proceedings, 1921, pages 284 to 285
  7. ↑ "George H. Prouty". National Governors Association. Retrieved 14 November 2012.
  8. ↑ New York Times, Gov. Prouty's Driver Held, July 8, 1909
  9. ↑ New York Times, Prouty Bails Chauffeur, July 11, 1909
  10. ↑ Jan Albers, Executive Director, "1909: The Champlain Tercentenary", Past Times: Stories From the Sheldon Museum, June, 2009
  11. ↑ Vermont General Assembly, Journal of the Vermont General Assembly, 1908, page 17
  12. ↑ Boston Globe, Ex-Gov Prouty of Vermont Killed, August 20, 1918
  13. ↑ New York Times, Ex-Gov. G. H. Prouty Killed, August 20, 1918
  14. ↑ Hartford Courant, Ex-Governor of Vermont Dies in Auto Accident, August 20, 1918
  15. ↑ Newport (R.I.) Mercury, New England News in Tabloid Form, March 15, 1919
  16. ↑ Gravestone photographs, Find A Grave, accessed May 28, 2012
  17. ↑ Health Care Investment Analysts, Inc., The Directory of Retirement Facilities, 2001, page 119
  18. ↑ Lisa Soderberg, National Park Service, Community Preservation Synopsis, 1977, page 8
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Political offices
Preceded by
Chauncey W. Brownell		 President pro tempore of the Vermont State Senate
1904 – 1906 		Succeeded by
William J. Van Patten
Preceded by
Charles H. Stearns		 Lieutenant Governor of Vermont
1906—1908 		Succeeded by
John A. Mead
Preceded by
Fletcher D. Proctor		 Governor of Vermont
1908–1910 		Succeeded by
John A. Mead
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