Heman A. White

Heman A. White (September 21, 1817 – January 1, 1898) was an American attorney and political figure from Vermont. A lifelong resident of Washington, Vermont, White was most notable for his long service as town clerk (1848-1898), probate judge of Orange County's Randolph district (1856-1858), state's attorney of Orange County (1866-1868), member of the Vermont House of Representatives from Washington (1857-1859, 1863-1866, 1876-1878), and member of the Vermont Senate from Orange County (1870-1872).

Heman A. White
Colorized version of illustration from 1894's Men of Vermont: An Illustrated Biographical History of Vermonters and Sons of Vermont
Member of the Vermont Senate from Orange County
In office
1870–1872
Serving with Harry H. Niles
Preceded byRoswell Farnham
James Hutchinson Jr.
Succeeded byWilliam R. Shedd
Lyman G. Hinckley
Member of the Vermont House of Representatives from Washington
In office
1876–1878
Preceded byJohn A. Stanley
Succeeded byWarren Huntington
In office
1863–1866
Preceded byHiram Fellows
Succeeded byLyman P. Barron
In office
1857–1859
Preceded byBether W. Bartholomew
Succeeded byDenison S. Bowles
State's Attorney of Orange County, Vermont
In office
1866–1868
Preceded bySamuel M. Gleason
Succeeded bySamuel M. Gleason
Judge of Probate for Vermont's Randolph District
In office
1856–1858
Preceded byJohn B. Hutchinson
Succeeded byWilliam F. Dickinson
Town Clerk of Washington, Vermont
In office
1848–1898
Preceded byJohn Colby
Succeeded byMiraette A. C. White
Personal details
Born(1817-09-21)September 21, 1817
Washington, Vermont
DiedJanuary 1, 1898(1898-01-01) (aged 80)
Washington, Vermont
Resting placeMaple Hill Cemetery, Washington, Vermont
Political partyWhig (before 1854)
Republican (from 1854)
Spouse(s)Mary C. Spencer (1851-1855, her death)
Miraette Ann Calef (m. 1861-1898, his death)
Children1
EducationNewbury Academy, Newbury, Vermont
ProfessionAttorney

Early life

Heman Allen White was born in Washington, Vermont on September 21, 1817, the youngest son of Thaddeus White (1759-1851) and Rebecca (Gleason) White (1774-1853).[1] Thaddeus White, who was originally from Spencer, Massachusetts was a veteran of the American Revolution and one of the first settlers of Washington.[1] He posted the public notice for the first town freemen's meeting in 1793 and at the meeting was chosen as one of the three highway surveyors.[1] In 1794, Thaddeus White was chosen as the town's first member of the Vermont House of Representatives.[1]

Heman White attended the schools of Washington and the academy in Newbury.[1] He then studied law with attorney John Colby of Washington.[1] White was admitted to the bar in 1843 and established a practice in Washington.[1]

Career

In addition to practicing law, White was involved in local politics and government.[1] Originally a Whig,[2] and a Republican from the time the party was founded in the mid 1850s, White served as Washington's town clerk from 1848 to 1898.[1] After serving as register of probate for the Randolph district of Orange County from 1854 to 1856, White was elected to a two-year term as probate judge.[1]

White went on to serve as state's attorney of Orange County from 1866 to 1868.[1] He represented Washington in the Vermont House of Representatives on several occasions, including 1857 to 1859, 1863 to 1866, and 1876 to 1878.[1] He also served one term (1870 to 1872) as a member of the Vermont Senate from Orange County.[1]

Death and burial

White died in Washington on January 1, 1898.[3] He was buried in the Calef family lot at Maple Hill Cemetery in Washington.[4]

Family

In 1851, White married Mary C. Spencer (1831-1855).[1] They were the parents of a daughter, Dora (1855-1883), who was the wife of Rolla G. Spafford.[1] In 1861, White married Miraette Ann Calef (1830-1900).[1] After his death, she was appointed to succeed him as town clerk.[5]

References

  1. Ullery, Jacob G (1894). Men of Vermont: An Illustrated Biographical History of Vermonters and Sons of Vermont. Brattleboro, VT: Transcript Publishing Company. pp. 430–431 via HathiTrust.
  2. "Orange County Whig Convention". Vermont Journal. Windsor, VT. June 28, 1850. p. 2 via Newspapers.com.
  3. "Washington: Hon. Heman Allen White". Northfield News. Northfield, VT. January 11, 1898. p. 1 via Newspapers.com.
  4. "Washington: The Funerals of H. A. White and Burton R. Seaver". Barre Daily Times. Barre, VT. January 7, 1898. p. 4 via Newspapers.com.
  5. "Washington: Mrs. H. A. White". Vermont Watchman and State Journal. Montpelier, VT. January 12, 1898. p. 8 via Newspapers.com.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.