Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1908-06-04

Joseph Dudley Denison died suddenly
at half past eleven O'Clock Thursday fore
noon, May IS, while sitting on the piazza
of his residence on Randolph avenue
reading the morning paper. The imme-
diate cause OF his death was neuralgia of
the heart. Only the day before he had
been in Bethel on some law business and
that night had severe attack of neural
gia affecting the left arm.
Mr.. Denison came of a distinguished
family and was born in Royalton, Nov. /,
1847, being consequently in his 61st year.
His first ancestor in this country was
Col. George Denison, who won his title
in CromwelPs army and emigrated to
America in 1884. Joseph d. was the son
of Hon. Dudley Chase Denison, an emf
nent lawyer who represented Vermont in
Congress from 1875 to 1879, and his
grandmother was Rachel Chase, a sister
of Judge and United States Senator Dud-
ley Chase and of Bishop Philander Chase
of Ohio. She was aunt of Salmon p.
Chase, chief justice of the United States
supreme court.
Mr.. Denison received his early educa-
ton in the public schools of his native
town and supplemented the same by a
course of study in Royalton academy. He
then passed year in Norwich university
and in 1864 he matriculated in the Uni
versity of Vermont, from which ne was
graduated in 1868 with the degree OF A.
B. He studied law with his father and
was admitted to the bar of Windsor
county in May of 1859. He was in part
nership with his father until 1885, in
which year he removed to Randolph.
where he had made his home to the time
h 10 cd In ri pp
he was not a stirrer-up of strife, but strove,
instead, to settle as many cases as he
could out of court. From 1872 to 1874,
Mr.. Denison was secretary of civil and
military affairs of the state of Vermont,
while from 1888 to 1890 he held the office
of states attorney of Orange county. In
1894 he was elected to represent the town
of Randolph in the lower house of the
state legislature.
| Through all his adult life he was a
stanch member of the Republican party,
and at the time of his death he was a can
didate for the Office of judge of probate
in Orange county with fiattering chance
of election. Born and bred in the Epis-
copal church, he was q faithful commune
cant of that body.
| In 1874, he was united in marriage to
Miss Elizabeth A. Rix, q native of Mo
bile, Ala, who died in 1908. Their two
children are Eunice Dunbar and RATHER
| inc Kendall. The former was married to
John r. Spring, lawyer of Nashua, n.
H., in 1902.
| Mr.. Denison was a genial companion
and always the courteous gentleman.
| His politeness never failed him and good
humor was his prevailing mood. Even
| in cloudy weather he radiated sunshine
l-ck. L.
enced, he spoke not of them, but turned a
| smiling face to his friends and the world.
Once when telling of an excursion that
| he had taken with congenial friends in
| his youth, he gave an involuntary sigh
for the pleasures and companions of the
past, but Immediately he frightened and
remarked-"WeIl, with Epictetus, will
say, NO one can take from me the feasts
that l have had.' :" 1t was always q
pleasure to meet him, and it will always
remain grief that we shall meet him no
more on earth. But no one can take
from US the pleasant memories of him
which we cherish. He died on Assem-
sion day, and may his soul have risen to
higher sphere than earth and to q hap
pier state than any we know of here.
The funeral was held at 2 O'Clock Sum
day afternoon in st. Johns church, of
which for many years the deceased was
senior warden and lay reader. Rev. E.
n. Webber, rector, and Rev. Homer
White, former rector, officiated.
After prayer at the house by Mr..
White, the remains were escorted to the
church by Mount Zion commandery,
Knights Templar, U. s. Grant post, g. A.
R., its associate members, OF whom the
deceased was one, Phoenix lodge, F. and
A. M, and IA members Of the Vermont
bar. There were % Sir Knights in line