John Prout (politician)

John Prout
From 1886's History of Rutland County, Vermont
Associate Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court
In office
1867–1869
Preceded byLoyal C. Kellogg
Succeeded byHoyt H. Wheeler
Member of the Vermont Senate from Rutland County
In office
October 10. 1867 – November 8, 1867
Serving with Ira C. Allen, Capen Leonard
Preceded byPitt W. Hyde, John Howe Jr., Seneca M. Dorr
Succeeded byIra C. Allen, Capen Leonard, Merritt Clark
Member of the Vermont House of Representatives from Rutland Town
In office
1865–1867
Preceded bySeneca M. Dorr
Succeeded byRedfield Proctor
State's Attorney of Addison County, Vermont
In office
1848–1851
Preceded byGeorge W. Grandey
Succeeded byJohn Wolcott Stewart
Member of the Vermont House of Representatives from Salisbury
In office
1847–1849
Preceded bySamuel S. Crook
Succeeded byJohn Colby
Personal details
Born(1815-11-21)November 21, 1815
Salisbury, Vermont
DiedAugust 28, 1890(1890-08-28) (aged 74)
Rutland, Vermont
Resting placeEvergreen Cemetery, Rutland, Vermont
Political partyWhig Party (before 1856)
Republican (from 1856)
Spouse(s)Louisa M. Cook (m. 1840–1848, her death)
Sarah P. Smith (m. 1849–1877, her death)
Ellen Sophia Ellsworth (1878–1890, his death)
Children3
ProfessionAttorney

John Prout (November 21, 1815 – August 28, 1890) was a Vermont attorney, politician, and judge who served as an associate justice of the Vermont Supreme Court from 1867 to 1869.

Biography

John Prout was born in Salisbury, Vermont on November 21, 1815,[1] the son of John C. Prout (1795–1877) and Phebe (or Phoebe) Holman (1793–1836).[2] He was educated in Salisbury, and then apprenticed as a printer.[1] After working in the printing business for several years, Prout studied law with Ebenezer N. Briggs.[1] He attained admission to the bar in 1837, and began to practice in partnership with Briggs.[1] originally a member of the Whig Party,[3] Prout represented Salisbury in the Vermont House of Representatives in 1847 and 1848.[1] From 1848 to 1851 Prout served as State's Attorney of Addison County.[1]

In 1854, Prout moved to the village of Rutland in Rutland Town, where he continued to practice law.[1] He had different partners at different times, and among them were Walter C. Dunton, Charles Linsley and Aldace F. Walker.[1] By now a Republican, he represented Rutland in the Vermont House in 1865 and 1866, and Rutland County in the Vermont Senate in 1867.[1] In 1867, Prout succeeded Loyal C. Kellogg as an associate justice of the Vermont Supreme Court,[4] and he served until 1869, when he was replaced by Hoyt H. Wheeler.[5]

After leaving the court, Prout continued to practice law until he retired in 1886.[1]

Death and burial

Prout died in Rutland on August 28, 1890.[1][6] He was buried at Evergreen Cemetery in Rutland.[2]

Family

In 1840, Prout married Louisa M. Cook (1823–1848).[2] After his second wife's death, in 1849 Prout married Sarah P. Smith, who died in 1877.[2] His third wife, whom he married in 1878, was Ellen Sophia Ellsworth (1824–1897), the widow of George Washington Strong (1818–1858), and a descendant of Oliver Ellsworth.[2]

Prout was the father of three children.[2] With his first wife, he had a son Edward J. (1847–1888),[2] and a daughter Cornelia Seward (called Emelia) (1847–1920).[2] With his second wife, he had a daughter, Mary S. (1859–1934).[2] In 1883, Cornelia Prout married Samuel Howard Field (1842–1892).[2] In 1890, Mary married Charles H. West, who worked in the banking industry in Rutland, and later served as Rutland's postmaster.[7][8]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k A Memorial Sketch of John Prout, pp. 63–67.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Ancestry and Descendants of Captain Timothy Prout of Boston, p. 130.
  3. ^ "The Election: Representatives; Addison County", p. 2.
  4. ^ "The Supreme Court of Vt.: Declination of Judge Kellogg, Election of His Successor", p. 2.
  5. ^ "Montpelier Correspondence", p. 3.
  6. ^ "Death record for John "Jack" Prout in Vermont, Vital Records, 1720-1908".
  7. ^ "Vermont News, Wedding of Mary Prout and Charles H. West", p. 4.
  8. ^ "Charles H. West, 73, Rutland Postmaster for 12 Years, Dies", p. 2.

Sources

Books

  • Harman, Henry A. (October 25, 1892). A Memorial Sketch of John Prout: Published in the Annual Meeting Proceedings of the Vermont Bar Association. Montpelier, VT: Argus and Patriot Book and Job Printing.
  • Prout, Dale Ellison (2002). Ancestry and Descendants of Captain Timothy Prout of Boston. Baltimore, MD: Gateway Press.

Newspapers

Internet

Political offices
Preceded by Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court
1867–1869 		Succeeded by