Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1862-03-13
TIE MEN OF VERMONT.
30.-JAMEs FISK.


James Fisk, who succeeded Dudley
Chase, as the Representative OF Vermont
in the Senate OF the United States. was
born in or about the year 1760. Of his
parantage, the town, and even the State
which gave him birth, and Of the exact
date Of that event we have no intorma-
tion-neither have we been able to ascer-
tain at what time he first made Vermont
his residence. He had the benefit OF on
ly limited common school education; but,
to use the language contained in the brief
notice announcing his death, possessing
superior natural talents, and availing him.
self of every means tor their improve
ment, he attained high rank for intelli-
gence in all branches of knowledge most
applicable for practical purposes. 10
great sagacity he united habits of critical
observation, and was in every respect a
self-educated man."
He also turned his attention TO the
study of Law, and became eminent in that
! profession. He was admitted to the bar,
and the first we hear of him in this State,
he is actively engaged in the practice of
his profession in Barre, in the county of
Washington, then being part of Orange
county.
He represented that town in the Gene
raj Assembly of Vermont in 1900, 1901,
1902, 1903 and 1S04-and again in 1909
and 1910, after his first term of service in
Congress, and also in 1915, after his last
term of service in the National House Of
Representatives.
In October, 1862 he was elected one of
the Assistant Judges of the Orange coun-
ty Court, and served but single year
and in October, 1909 was elected Chief
Judge of the same court and retained
this position also but single year.
In 1905 he was elected member of
Congress from the Northeastern Congress
sional District of Vermont, and was re-
elected in 1907. This district was COM
posed of the counties of Orange, Caledo-
MIA, Essex and Orleans. These counties
at that time comprised much larger area
of territory than the counties of the same
name do at the present day.
James Fisk was one of the most able,
active and laborious representatives that
Vermont ever sent to Congress. 1t was
during his first term in Congress that
passed the law abolishing the slave-trade.
For this law Mr.. Fisk e.~,.ua, t.Isd :.
adopted in the House of Representatives
by large majority, Notwithstanding John
Randol phi of Roanoke, then a member,
declared he would rather lose all the
bills of the session, every bill passed
since the establishment of the government,
than submit to such provision. 1t went
to blow the constitution in ruins. IF dis
union should ever take place, the line of
disseverance would not be between the
East and the West, lately the topic of
much alarm, but between the slavehold-
ing and the non-slaveholding States
He supported by his speeches and his
votes most of the measures of the admin
istration of Jefferson and Madison. Mr..
Benton, in his Arrangement of the De-
bates in the American Congress, has pre-
served many of the speeches delivered by
Mr.. Fisk during the first period of his
service in Congress. Among these are
speeches in favor of the Embargo, and
against its suspension-in favor of appro-
priations for building gunboats and erect
ing Notifications, and one, which was de-
livered before any propositions had been
made for the abolition of the slave-trade,
in favor of laying heavy duty on all
slaves imported, and by these means in
directly do away with the slave-trade.
In 1911 he again took his seat in Con-
gress as the Representative of the North
western District of Vermont which Dis
trict he continued to represent till 1915,
and again became one of the most active
supporters of the Administration. During
the period of the War of 1912 and imme-
diately before, Mr.. Fish was an active
supporter of all the war measures of the
administration he voted for the several