The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1908-03-06
REDFIELD PROCTOR.

Hr,lhclI prortor, y, Nrfmonl, senior
mrml.rF at the United States senate, died
at his apartments ia Washington Ne,incs'
Iday afternoon at i.s1 after a short illness
I following an attack ui grip, \ week aga
I the senator Nas attacked With an ailment
Nhirh was diagnosed a. glp, This de-
| NelnleI into pleurisy with pnoumonic COM
/ plloaiion, which proved too much Tor the
senator's weakened powers ui resistance,
/ lis nun, Governor Proctor the governor .
wife, and several intimate friends wert
at the bedside when death came.
In the death OF kedheld Proctor Yer
mont lu-es her most prominent son aud
Z the country 4 widely known public figure.
7 flom a puor boy he had risrn 10 the pu'
,iiinn 81 marble king worth many mil
lions, After holding many state Offices hc
/ lclt the ulhue ui sucfttaiy ui war under
I President Harrison ia 1891 to take the
place uf George r. Eimunis in the rcn'
ate and since his entrance m that body
had occupied 4 position oi influence aud
respect. senator Proctor came into e.
Z pcCial prominence in the spnng Of lsl's
hen his realistic speech describing the
terrible condition oi the Cuban reconccn'
tfadus did much toward Fastening the ac'
tion ai the United States which brought
On the war with >uain, At the time Of
NJ, death senator Proctor was chairman
oi the committee On agriculture aud Tor
cstfy, aud member OF the committees
0n post offices aud post roads. revision Of
laws, five civilized tribes. public health
aud fisheries ili- interest in the work
Of the fisheries committee was particu'
larry interesting 10 him because Of hls
great delight ia angling, but his attitude
on all public matters showed keen per
ception aud a hrpai.mindcd vision. Seua'
tor pructors most recent beneiaction to
this state was the tuberculosis sanitarium
Al Pitt,ford which was dedicated just
before he returned TO Washington last
fall.
Funeral service, will take place in Proc.
tor this afternoon al o'clock.
Redhed Proctor wass the son Of Jabez
and Betsy Parker Proctor and was born
at Proetorsville, VT, June /, lS3l, Al
ter receiving a thorough preparatory edu'
cation he entered Dartmouth college, from
which he was graduated in 1851. and three
year later he received the degree OF Mas
ter Of Arts from his Alma Mater. Sc
lccting law a. his profession, the boy be.
gan his preliminary studies at the Al
hany N. " law school. lie was grad
uatei in 1859 and was admitted TO the
bar at Albany. y. Y, and TO the Vermont
bar at Woodstock this state. In 1860
aud 1851 he practiced his profession in
the office OF his cousin, Judge Isaac +.
Proctor, the eminent jurist at Boston.
When the civil war broke out in 1861,
Redficld Proctor enlisted in the Sd Yer
mont regiment, was commissioned as lieu
tenant and quarteTmaster and was sent 10
the front. In July the same year he was
appointed TO the staff Of General William
| +. tBaldy) Smith. In October he was
promoted and transferred to the 9Th Yer
mont volunteers, OF which he was com
missioned major. In October, 1862, Ma.
| jor Proctor was made a colonel in the
| 18th Vermont volunteers and in the
memorable and decisive engagement at
Gettysburg his command was stationed on
1 the famous Cemetery ridge during a part
| of the second days struggle.
/ On May 90 1858, Redfeld Proctor was
married to Emily y. Dutton OF Cavendish,
4 VT. Five children were born to them.
/ four Of whom are now living, Gov,
/ Fletcher ID. Proctor. Arabella G., Emily
1 d.. and Retaield Proctor, jr
/ After the war Colonel Proctor returned
/ to Vermont and entered into a law part
nership in Rutland with Wheelock G.
( Neazey, afterward a Judge of the Vermont
/ supreme court. and a member of the Unit
ed States interstate commerce commission.
which he had been appointed receiver,
Colonel Proctor yielded TO the attractions
/ of commercial life and in 1869 became
manager of the Sutherland Falls Marble
company. In 1850 the Sutherland Falls 4
/ Rutland Marble companies were consoli-
dated under the name of the Vermont
/ Marble company, and he was elected as
/ president Answering to his management
| the company so increased its business that
/ it became the largest of its kind in the
world.
4 Redfeld Proctor's public career began in
/ 1896, when he was elected a selectman OF
| the town of Rutland. In 1867 he repre-
sented the town in the state legislature,
serving as chairman of the committee on
elections in the lower house. In 1865 he
was again a member of the house, serving
with the committee on ways and means.
| lie was elected to the state senate in
| 1874, being chosen president pro tempore
of that body. In 1876 he was elected lieu
tenant governor of Vermont and in 1873
he was nominated by the republican party
and elected governor of Vermont.
| He was a delegateat-large to the repub,
| lican national convention in 1854, and
again in 1883. In the latter year he was
chairman of the Vermont delegation
In 1883 the Vermont Legislature unani-
mOusly recommended MN lof cdDlHet
position and in March, 1899, President
Harrison appointed him secretary of war.
| Senator Proctor won national reputation
by his conduct of the war portfolio, his
administration being considered one of the
abest in the history of the department.
4 On the retirement of Senator George f.
Edmunds from the United States senate,
Governor Page appointed Senator Proctor
to fill the unexpired term, and on Oct.
Is, 1892, he was elected by the Vermont
legislature to fill both the unexpired term
and the full term, the latter ending March
4. 1899. He had since been returned twice
to the United States senate, his present
term expiring in March, 1911.
A marked tribute of respect was paid to
the memory of the late Senator Redtield
Proctor by the United States senate yes
terday, Republicans and democrats at
tended the brief session in such number
as is seldom seen except on unusual occa-
sions. All stood reverently as the chap
lain Rev. DR.. Edward Everett Hale,
delivered the prayer, which contained an
appropriate reference to the life and work
Of Senator Proctor. Senator Dillingham;
| H., ,,,oJo foroa1 announcement of his