Allen M. Fletcher

Allen Miller Fletcher (September 25, 1853 – May 11, 1922) was an American politician who served as the 54th governor of Vermont from 1912 to 1915.

Allen M. Fletcher
Allen M. Fletcher
54th Governor of Vermont
In office
October 3, 1912 – January 7, 1915
LieutenantFrank E. Howe
Preceded byJohn A. Mead
Succeeded byCharles W. Gates
Member of the Vermont Senate from Windsor County
In office
1904–1905
Serving with Edgar J. Fish
James C. Taylor
Preceded byLorenzo M. Greene
Charles H. Howard
Charles Downer
Succeeded byOliver W. Daley
Fred L. Davis
Charles F. Aldrich
Member of the Vermont House of Representatives from Cavendish
In office
1906–1912
Preceded byElliot G. White
Succeeded byDaniel J. Stimets
In office
1902–1903
Preceded byCharles W. Whitcomb
Succeeded byElliot G. White
Personal details
Born(1853-09-25)September 25, 1853
Indianapolis, Indiana
DiedMay 11, 1922(1922-05-11) (aged 68)
Rutland, Vermont
Political partyRepublican
SpouseMary Elizabeth Bence (July 18, 1857 – May 9, 1942)
Children1
ProfessionBanker
Businessman
Politician

Biography

Fletcher was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, on September 25, 1853.[1] The son of a successful banker whose family was originally from Proctorsville, Vermont, he was educated at Willston Seminary in East Hampton, Massachusetts, and became a banker and businessman with homes in Indianapolis and New York City. In 1881 he built a summer home in Proctorsville.[2] He married Mary E. Bence and they had three children.[3] In 1899 he moved to New York City and became a member of the Stock Exchange. Six years later he retired to spend more time in Vermont.

A Republican, Fletcher was a Proctorsville Village Trustee and served in the Vermont House of Representatives from 1902 to 1903, the Vermont State Senate from 1904 to 1905, and the Vermont House again from 1906 to 1912.[4][5][6][7][8] He was a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1908.[9] Fletcher was a leader in the legislature; during his Senate term he was chairman of the Finance Committee. During the 1906 to 1908 legislative session, he was chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. In his final two House terms, he was chairman of both the Rules and Ways & Means Committees.[10]

In 1912, Fletcher was elected Governor, serving from 1912 to 1915. Fletcher was selected by the Vermont General Assembly after a three-way race including a Progressive party nominee prevented any candidate from obtaining the popular vote majority required by the Vermont Constitution. While in office the end of Fletcher's term was extended from October 1914 to January 1915 as part of changing the start and end dates of all statewide offices to January.[11]

After leaving the Governor's office, Fletcher returned to his business interests, and was an unsuccessful candidate for the Republican U.S. Senate nomination in 1916, losing to incumbent Carroll S. Page.[12]

Death and legacy

Fletcher died of a cerebral hemorrhage while staying at Rutland's Berwick Hotel.[13] He is interred at Crown Hill Cemetery, Indianapolis, Indiana.[14]

Fletcher's family made numerous contributions for civic causes in Cavendish and Ludlow including constructing and donating Ludlow's Fletcher Library in 1901.[15] His home "The Castle" is now an inn and restaurant near Okemo Mountain ski resort.[16] In addition, his heirs donated the Ludlow property that is today the Fletcher Farm School, a non-profit educational center that offers instruction in the arts.[17]

Fletcher's son Allen M. Fletcher Jr. served in the Vermont House and Senate in the 1940s.[18]

References
  1. A. N. Marquis, Who's Who in New England, 1915, page 412
  2. William Richard Cutter, New England Families, Genealogical and Memorial, Volume 3, 1914, page 1456
  3. "Allen M. Fletcher". National Governors Association. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
  4. Vermont Historical Society, Proceedings of the Vermont Historical Society, 1921, pages 284 to 285
  5. Chas. R. Cummings, Allen M. Fletcher, The Vermonter magazine, January, 1916, pages 151 to 152
  6. Prentiss Cutler Dodge, Encyclopedia of Vermont Biography, 1912, page 192
  7. Boston Globe, Fletcher on First Ballot, October 3, 1912
  8. Boston Globe, The Vermont Election, October 4, 1912
  9. "Allen M. Fletcher". The Political Graveyard. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
  10. Henry, Guy V., Vermont Secretary of State (1910). Vermont Legislative Directory and State Manual for 1910. Montpelier, VT: Capital City Press. pp. 5426–427.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  11. Robert Sobel, John Raimo, Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789-1978, Volume 4, 1978
  12. Vermont State Archives, Primary Election Results, 1916 Republican Party Archived April 15, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, 2006, page 1
  13. Hartford Courant, Obituary, Allen M. Fletcher, May 13, 1922
  14. Political Graveyard
  15. Donna Moxley, Ludlow Library Project Approved, Rutland Herald, July 25, 2001
  16. Jane Roy Brown, Heir to a Rich History in Vermont, Boston Globe, December 18, 2005
  17. Vermont Development Commission, Vermont Life, Volumes 7-8, 1952, page 5
  18. Council of State Governments, State Administrative Officials Classified by Functions, 1949, page 147
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