Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1867-03-06

sentatives of Bennington in the legislature,
the town being at that time entitled to two
representatives. The same year he was
elected Auditor of Accounts, and held the
office three years. He was reelected to
the legislature in 1871, 1888, and 1874,
and in 1888 was Speaker OF the House.
In 1882 he was appointed agent of the
State. to see that its interests suffered no
detriinent at the hands of Congress, and
was also chosen agent to prosecute the
claims of the State against the Workers in
Windham County. In this last mission he
seems to have had considerable success.
In 1888 he was chosen one Of the agents to
negotiate the admission of Y Nermont into
the Union, and a delegate to Congress, in
case the negotiation should be successful.
He conducted the negotiation with much
sa aeacity, but without Success.
Having, in the meantime, prosecuted his
legal studies at Bennington, he was ad-
mitted to the Bennington County Bar at
the April Term, 1875 and he was admit
ted to practice in the Circuit Court of the
United States at Rutland, 25th June, 1892.
In 17S6 he was elected by the Legislature
Justice of the peace for the County of
Bennington. That was the first election of
justices that took place in Vermont. Only
three were allowed to the town of Ben
nington, and only eighteen to the whole
county OF the manner in which he ad-
ministered that office tradition relates this
anecdote. \ young woman accused of
larceny, was duly prosecuted, and was to
be tried bef6re him. On her way to the
magistrates office, she was overtaken by
Tichenor who was personally a stranger to
her. and who asked her what she thought
would be the result of the trial q Oh"
she replied, -" ! am not at all concerned
about that, am to be tried before Tiche-
nor and he never condemned a woman in
his life" The event justified her conf
dent expectation.
In 1877 he was elected a member of the
Governors Council and held the office five
years. In 1873 he was appointed one of
the seven commissioners to treat with New
York, through whose agency the contro-
versies with the State were finally adjust
ed, and the way was prepared for the ad-
mission of Vermont into the Union. While
still "a member of the Council, he was
elected, in 1871, Judge of the Supreme
Court, and remained on the bench five
wears, during the last two of which he was
Chief Justice In 1791 he and Ira Allen
were appointed commissioners TO prepare
and present claims against the United
States for expenditures in the Revolution
arv War. He was elected in 1892 men,
Der of the Council of Censors, and Major
General of the Second Division of militia.
The Council of Censors which met, in
IL,
stitution, establishing senate as a co-or-
dinate branch of the Legislature, which,
however, was not adopted. He was elect
ed 18th October 1896, Senator in Con-
gress to supply the vacancy occasioned by
the resignation of Moses Robinson, and
also for the full term to commence 4th
March, 1877.
He resigned his seat in the Senate, In
October. 1897, and entered upon the office
of governor TO which he had been elected
bv the legislature He was the first gov
ernor who delivered the annual executive
E communication in person to the legislature
if he was not the first to make any formal
: communication. The two political parties
, the federal and republican had by this time
been fully organized, and the lines between
them were distinctly drawn, In his inau.
f gural address, Governor Tichenor took a
decided federal position, and expressed the
: fullest confidence in the integrity, ability
and patriotism of John Adams, who wa:
h then President of the United States. Ii
1898 he was reelected, by large major
r itv of the popular vote. \ bitter feeling
/. had now arisen between the two parties
$ The country was agitated and alarmed BY
| the insolent proceedings of the French
their refusal to receive the minister of th
: United States, and their demand of tribut
under the name of loan. Governor Itch
enor III his address to the legislature, ex
d pressed the strongest disapprobation of tn
policy of France. and the legislature re
turned an answer in the same spirit. \
e this session began the practice of electin
r to office no persons but those who agree
in political opinion with the dominant par
;. tv in the legislature. Nearly every repub
n lican office-holder. from the Chief Justic
rs of the Supreme Court down to the petties
county officer was displaced by a federalis
$ for the avowed purpose of strengthenin
te one party and weakening the other. 0
IT account of this wholesale prescription, tn
e edifce in Vergennes, in which the sesslo
A. was held, acquired the sobriquet of " tn
t. Vergennes slaughter-house."
lg In 1899 the strength of the two partit
lie in the legislature, was fairly tested by
Te vote in regard to the celebrated Nirgini
resolution of " 9S,'' which declared tn:
m individual States were the rightful judg
of of the constitutionahty of acts of Congress
20, and of the obligation of the state to obs
II &ba,,, Tha doctrine Of ithaca raColufIO,
was condemned by vote of one hundre
and four to tifty-two, the federalists bein
in the majority, two to one. During tt
next two years. however, the republics
party rapidly gained strength, and in II
legislature of 1901, the republicans had
majority of twenty. They retained Il
ascendency for a number of years, and
n 1903, used their power in prescribing the
ed opponents more vigorously even than Il
M federal legislature of 1898 had don
" Notwithstanding this change in the polit
IN cal character of the State, Governor Tic
st. enor was reelected, year after year,
rv respectable popular majorities, till $50
10. period of ten successive years. In tn
W year he was defeated by Israel Smith, b
10 in 1908 he was again elected, making
an whole term of service in the eXecutl
,re chair eleven years, a term equalled by
ar other Governor of Vermont, except Thorn
NJ, Chittenden. In 1914 he was elected
dn n the Senate of the United States, and
10 the completion of his term of service,
b;S March. 1921, he retired from public Ii
He retained the esteem of all who KIN
of him, was in easy pecuniary circumstanc
he spent happy old age. and died 11th L