John A. Mead
John Abner Mead (April 20, 1841 – January 12, 1920) was a Vermont physician, businessman and politician who served as 47th lieutenant governor of Vermont from 1908 to 1910, and the 53rd governor of Vermont, from 1910 to 1912.
John A. Mead | |
|---|---|
| 53rd Governor of Vermont | |
| In office October 5, 1910 – October 3, 1912 | |
| Lieutenant | Leighton P. Slack |
| Preceded by | George H. Prouty |
| Succeeded by | Allen M. Fletcher |
| 47th Lieutenant Governor of Vermont | |
| In office October 8, 1908 – October 5, 1910 | |
| Governor | George H. Prouty |
| Preceded by | George H. Prouty |
| Succeeded by | Leighton P. Slack |
| Member of the Vermont House of Representatives from Rutland City | |
| In office 1906–1908 | |
| Preceded by | George A. Smith |
| Succeeded by | Earle S. Kinsley |
| Mayor of Rutland City, Vermont | |
| In office 1893–1894 | |
| Preceded by | None (position created) |
| Succeeded by | Levi G. Kingsley |
| Member of the Vermont Senate from Rutland County | |
| In office 1892–1893 | |
| Preceded by | Levi G. Kingsley Albert J. Dickinson Cyrus Jennings Simon L. Peck |
| Succeeded by | Frank D. White Ira R. Allen Amos D. Tiffany Noah S. Walker |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 20, 1841 Fair Haven, Vermont, U.S. |
| Died | January 12, 1920 (aged 78) Rutland, Vermont, U.S. |
| Resting place | Evergreen Cemetery Rutland, Vermont, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Education | Middlebury College Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons |
| Profession | Physician Businessman |
| Signature | |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States (Union) |
| Service | Union Army |
| Years of service | 1862–1863 |
| Rank | Private |
| Unit | Company K, 12th Vermont Regiment |
| Wars | American Civil War |
Biography edit
Mead was born in Fair Haven, Vermont, to Roswell and Lydia Mead (née Gorham). He was educated at the common school in West Rutland and at Franklin Academy in Malone, New York. He began attendance at Middlebury College, but interrupted his studies to enlist in the Union Army for the American Civil War. Mead joined Company K, 12th Vermont Infantry Regiment, serving from 1862 to 1863. After mustering out of the military, he graduated from Middlebury College in 1864. While at Middlebury he joined the Alpha Alpha Chapter of Delta Kappa Epsilon (DKE) Fraternity.
In 1868 he received a medical degree from the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University in New York City.
He married Mary Madelia Sherman in 1872 and they had one daughter, Mary Sherman Mead.[1] Mary Mead's son and John A. Mead's grandson John A. M. Hinsman served as President of the Vermont Senate from 1945 to 1947.[2][3]
Career edit
Mead practiced medicine in New York City for two years, and in Rutland from 1870 to 1888, when he was appointed chair of the medical department at the University of Vermont. A Republican, Mead served in the Vermont Senate from 1892 to 1893. When Rutland City became a separate municipality from Rutland Town, Mead served as the city's first Mayor, holding office from 1893 to 1894. In 1893 he was a Vermont Commissioner for the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Mead served in the Vermont House of Representatives in 1906 and was Lieutenant Governor from 1908 to 1910.
Mead was elected governor in 1910 and served from October 5, 1910 to October 3, 1912. During his tenure, he presided over the state legislature's reapportionment of state senatorial districts; and legislation was enacted during his administration establishing a State School of Agriculture, requiring the registration of nurses, and providing for a direct primary.[4]
After his governorship, Mead resumed his business interests. He was president of Baxter National Bank,[5] Howe Scale Company,[6] and John A. Mead Manufacturing Company.[7] He was also a director of the Rutland Railroad.[8][9][10]
Mead was a Trustee of Middlebury College, the University of Vermont and Norwich University; all three conferred the honorary degree of LL.D. upon him in 1911.[11] He made substantial donations to Middlebury, including the financing of its Mead Memorial Chapel which was constructed in 1916.[12][a] He was a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1912, and a member of the Grand Army of the Republic.
Death edit
Mead died of pneumonia at his home in Rutland, Rutland County, Vermont, on January 12, 1920. He is interred in Rutland's Evergreen Cemetery.[14]
Notes edit
References edit
- ^ John A. Mead. Encyclopedia, Vermont Biography. 1912. p. 52. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
- ^ French, Deanna (2018). "Mead, John Abner". Vermont in the Civil War. Tom Ledoux. Retrieved August 8, 2018.
- ^ Clerk of the Vermont House of Representatives (2011). "Vermont Senate Presidents Pro Tempore, 1841–2011". leg.state.vt.us. Montpelier, VT: Vermont House of Representatives. Retrieved August 8, 2018.
- ^ "John A. Mead". National Governors Association. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
- ^ The Bankers Magazine, The New England States, Volume 73, 1906, page 1061
- ^ National magazine, The Western Slope, Volume 38, 1913, page 1039
- ^ William Arba Ellis, Norwich University, 1819–1911, Volume 3, 1911, page 536
- ^ Vermont Secretary of State, State Officers' Reports, 1886, page 112
- ^ Rutland Railroad Company, Annual Report, 1886, page 10
- ^ Peter S. Jennison, Roadside History of Vermont, 1989, page 40
- ^ John A. Mead. Encyclopedia, Vermont Biography. 1912. p. 52. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
- ^ "Mead Chapel". Middlebury History Online. May 22, 2012. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
- ^ Lee, George & Patton, Laurie (September 27, 2021). "Mead Memorial Chapel | Middlebury News and Announcements". www.middlebury.edu. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "John A. Mead". The Political Graveyard. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
External links edit
- Political Graveyard
- Encyclopedia, Vermont Biography
- National Governors Association
- John A. Mead at Find a Grave