Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1862-01-09
THE MEN OF VERMONT.
10. SAMUEL C. CRAFTS.

Samuel Chandler Crafts, the tenth Gov
ernor of Vermont, was born in Wood
stock, in the county of Windham and
Stae of Connecticut, on the 9th day of
October, 176S, and graduated at Harvard
College, Massachusetts, in 1890.
His father, Col. Ebenezer Crafts, COM
menced the settlement of the town OF
Msnden, the name of which was subse-
quently changed to Cratasbaoy, in honor
of him, in the summer of 1888. During
that summer, in addition to clearing some
ten or twelve acres of land, he built
house and saw mill, commenced the erec-
ton of grist mill, and opened road to
Cabot, about eighteen miles distant.
Having everything in readiness for the
reception of his family, he, accompanied
by his son Samuel c.. and the remainder
of the family, moved into Vermont in
February, 1871 - the male members,
with snow-shoes, drawing the females on
hand 'sleds from Cabot to Craftsbury-the
snow averaging four feet in depth the en-
tire way.
The town was organized by the name
of Craftsbury in March, 1871, and Sam
uel G. Crafts was elected the first town
clerk, which office he held till March,
1929 receiving thirty-seven successive
annual elections. He was, also, the same
| year, elected the first Justice of the Peace
tor that town, and was continued in office
fifteen years. .r
In 1898 he was chosen delegate from
the town of Craftsbury to the Constitu-
tional Convention which assembled that
year, and was the only member from that
portion of the State which now constitutes
! Orleans County. He was, also, the
youngest member of that body, being
|
twenty-four or twenty-five years of age,
and, during the last three years of his
life, was the only surviving member
lie was, also, a delegate from the same
town to the Constitutional Convention of
1928, and its President. No material al
teration of the Constitution was made by
either of these Conventions.
lie represented T. .ae town of Craftsbury
in the General Assembly of Vermont
in 1896, 1900, OIL and 03, and again in
I'1S05, and was Clerk of the House of Rep
resentatives in 1898 and 1899.
In 1909 he became a member of the
Council, and was reelected in 1910, IL
and II. He also received majority of
the votes polled for that office at the an
nual election in 1918, but was figured out
by the rejection of the v11tes from COL
chester, mentioned in another article.
| p:de: Martin Chiaenden"] He was
again elected Councillor in 1926, and con-
tinued as such till his election to the office
of Governor.
4 He was appointed Register of the Pro-
bate Court for the District of Orleans in
1896, and held this office nineteen years
In October, 1900, being then Tom
Clerk and Justice Of the Peace for the
toao'e Of Crqt7sbaay, Register Of Probate
for the Orleans District and Representa-
the IN the General ASSEMBLY from the
torn Of Crafsbury, he was elected first
Assistant Judge of the Orleans County
Court, and held that position till October
1910, when he was elected Chief Judge
and was annually reelected to this latter
office in 1910. IL, II, Is, IA and Is. In
} 1925, upon the reorganization of the Ju.
dietary system in this State-the Supreme
Court furnishing Presiding Judge--he
; was again elected first Assistant Judge Of
the County Court, and held this Office, al.
SO, till he was elected Governor. HI
was subsequently-in 1886, 81 and So
Clerk of the Supreme and County Court:
for Orleans County.
: Judge Crafts was chosen Member O
!. Congress from Vermont in 1917 and wa
: reelected tn 1919, 21 and %. This wa
probably the most important period in tn,
/ history of the American Congress, no
only from the immediate importance o
measures then adopted, as from subsequen
4 events, as it was during this time that th