George H. Prouty

George Herbert Prouty (March 4, 1862 – August 18, 1918) of Newport, 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 46th 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.

George Herbert Prouty
52nd Governor of Vermont
In office
October 8, 1908 – October 5, 1910
LieutenantJohn A. Mead
Preceded byFletcher D. Proctor
Succeeded byJohn A. Mead
46th Lieutenant Governor of Vermont
In office
October 4, 1906 – October 8, 1908
GovernorFletcher D. Proctor
Preceded byCharles H. Stearns
Succeeded byJohn A. Mead
Member of the Vermont Senate from Orleans County
In office
1904–1906
Serving with Chauncey Sullivan Skinner
Preceded byOrien Sanda Annis, Lewis Augustus Jackson
Succeeded byCharles Edwin Coruth, Homer Henry Somers
Member of the Vermont House of Representatives from Newport
In office
1896–1898
Preceded byJohn Young
Succeeded byCharles F. Ranney
Personal details
Born(1862-03-04)March 4, 1862
Newport, Vermont
DiedAugust 18, 1918(1918-08-18) (aged 56)
Waterville, Quebec
Political partyRepublican
SpouseHenrietta Allen Prouty (1865 – 1929)
EducationBryant & Stratton Commercial College
ProfessionBusinessman

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 Willard Robert Prouty. Willard 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 1898. From 1904 to 1906 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]

In July 1909, 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, 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. 1912. p. 277. Retrieved November 14, 2012. George H. Prouty university of vermont biography.
  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 November 14, 2012.
  6. Vermont Historical Society, Annual Meeting Proceedings, 1921, pages 284 to 285
  7. "George H. Prouty". National Governors Association. Retrieved November 14, 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 Archived September 7, 2012, at archive.today, "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. East Main Street (city) Cemetery, Newport, Vermont Old Cemetery Association, accessed November 24, 2017.
  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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