The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1915-11-05
vERMoNTs Ex-eovERNoRs
Interesting Letter BY Senator Carroll
S. Page.


The following interesting letter
written by United States Senator C.
S. Page relative to the recent death
of Ex-Governor John W. Stewart of
Middlebury appeared in the last is
sue of the Hyde Park News and Citi-
zen published in the senator's home
town.
THE death of Ex-Governor Stewart
last week suggests a line of thought
in which old-time Vermonters find
food for some very interesting refec-
tions.
During the later years of Gov.
F'red'k Holbrooks lite it was my Gus
tom to write to the Governors of the
several states in the Union suggest
ing that birthday letter to the Gov
eTnor-who was foreseveral years
the nestor OF all the Governors of the
United States-would give him a
great deal of pleasure His friends
used to tell me that for weeks af-
ter these birthday letters came to
hand the Governor would call in his
friends and show them these epistles
That they afforded him an immense
amount OF pleasure during the last
days of his life is unquestionably
true Gov. Holbrook was 80 at the
time OF his death.
Der, 1925, and was. therefore, 80
years old this month. Whether at
the time of his decease he was or
was not the oldest living Governor in
the pains to ascertain; he probably
was.
"A few weeks ago Vermont might
have boasted of twelve living Ex-Goy
errors, but the deaths OF Mccullough
and Stewart reduces the number to
ten-the smallest it has been for
generation.
For many years we enjoyed the
distinction of having more than twice
as many living Ex-Governors as any
other state in the Union On one oc-
casion when | was writing to the Gov
ernor of Michigan in regard to Gov
ernor Holbrook | suggested the fact
that we had u living ex-Governors;
he replied that Michigan had only
one and that he was native son OF
Vermont.
Our living EX-Governors today are
Pingree, Ormsbee Dillingham;, Page,
Grout, Smith, Stickney, Prouty,
Mead and Fletcher
I'VE have the same number of liv-
ing Ex.Lieutenant-G Governors, consist
ing of Pingree. Ormsbee Fiske, Al
len, Stanton. Stearns, Prouty, Mead,
Slack and Howe.
"Of Ex United States Senators on
ly one-the venerable Edmunds-
survives, while of Representatives to
Congress there are four-Joyee, Ty-
Ter, Haskins and Plumley
There has been an article going
the rounds of the press of late stat
ing that only two delegates to the
Republican National Convention OF
1860, which nominated Abraham Lin.
coin, were living, and that both OF
them. were Nermonters. These two
members were John W. Stewart and
Edward B. Sawyer. If this state
ment is correct, our own Hyde Park
has the distinction of not only hav-
ing the only living member of that
convention OF 1850 but
since the death of Col Walbridge OF
the End Vermont, and CT Generals
Ripley and Henry, all of which occur
red within the past two years, Hyde
Park also has in Colonel Sawyer, the
only living veteran of the civil war
in Vermont, who was the
officer of either regi- |
ment. brigade or division
Dispatches from Council Bluffs, |
Iowa, which reached us last week |
announce that General Grenvlle NJ.
Dodge, who resides in that city, is
on his death bed. General
Dodge was not a native Vermonter
but think he was at one time in |
of brigade or division con
aiming Vermont troops He was a !
graduate of Norwich University.
Major General Lewis A. Grant |
low resides in Minneapolis, Mime
sofa. So far as can recall he is the |
'nly living Major General who ever
a Vermont regiment in |
he Civil War. | have met General |
Grant several times within the past |
ew years and although, as a matter
u course, the intirmities of age are |
gradually beginning to be manifest,
Is they are with Col. Sawyer, they |
10Th enjoy an excellent measure of I
health for their years and we may all
rope that 4 kind Providence will long
pare these two living monuments of
he Civil War.
Vermont may well feel proud of
he honors she enjoys in the matter
If distinguished survivors In the
enerable Edmunds we have the last
# that long line of constitutional
awyeTs which made the Senate of
he United States memorable during
he last half of the last century. Sen
tor Edmunds is now nearly IS and