Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1916-12-29
CLARK c. Fits
Brilliant Vermont Lawyer Dies
at the Age of Al Years-Ver-
mOnt's First AttOrney-General.

Clarke C. Fits, of Brattleboro,
died Wednesday evening, Dec. 20, at
the home of his sister-in-law, Mrs.
Otis, in Watertown, Mass, aged 46
years. He was operated upon No
vember 8 in the Corey Hill hospital
at Brookline, Mass, for an intestinal
trouble. Thanksgiving day he was
moved to Watertown. He showed
improvement for time, but com
plications set in and for the past two
days there had been no hope.
By the death of Clarke Cushing
Fits, Brattleboro loses a man who
had been most prominent in the af-
fairs of the town and of the State
in the last Is years. During that
period Mr.. Fits had a prominent
part in the bringing to a successful
head more large enterprises than
any one other resident of the town.
This he did in addition to handling
very large and lucrative law prac-
tice which he had built up by leaps
and bounds almost from the time of
his admission to the Vermont bar at
the age of 81 years. He was counsel
for many large interests. He was
born in Wardsboro, October II, 1870,
a son of Osmer C. and Abbie M.
(TwitchelD Fits. His father died
when he was IA years of age. After
a few terms in the Leland and Gray
Seminary and one year in the Brat
tleboro high school, from which he
graduated, he entered the law office
Of Waterman, Martin & Hit as
law student and was admitted to the
bar October 21, 1891, four days after
he became of age. Three years
after being admitted to the bar he
was elected States attorney of
Windham county and vigorously
prosecuted such offenses as came
under his jurisdiction and was espec-
tally active in his work against those
who sold liquor illegally.
The new railroad station complet-
ed this year and the changing of the
grade of Vernon street, Brattleboro,
involving the expenditures of sever
al scores of thousands, was due to
his persistence and ability as counsel
for the local committee. 1t involved
years of effort.
In 1904 he was elected town repre-
sentative and after three months
service was elected the first attorney
general of the State, an office created
by the Legislature of which he was
a member. He was reelected for a
second term of two years. During
his career in that office occurred the
trial of Mary Rogers of Bennington
and her subsequent conviction and
hanging. In this case an array of
brilliant counsel opposed the young
encouragement. This was his last
political appointment.
He was a staunch republican in
politics and of late years had been
much sought as a campaign speaker
1t was while engaged in the national
campaign of this year in New York
State that he was taken i'll and
forced to abandon his assignments
He was member of the Cente,
Congregational church, a -presi
dent of the Greater Vermont associ
alton, ex-president of the Vermont
Bar association, trustee of the
Brattleboro Savings bank. a director
of the Peoples National bank, ;
director of the S. A. Smith Manufac
turing company and of the Hooker
Corser & Mitchell company, a mem
ber of the Masonic fraternity and O
the Red Men, of the Brattleborc
Country club and the Vernon
Wheel club.
Mr.. Fits first married in 1885,
Miss Harriet Lyon of Londonderry
who died in 1887. He leaves TIVE
sons by that marriage, Robert l.,
student in the Harvard Law school
and Stanley c., a student at Dart
mouth College. In 1903 Mr.. FIT
] married for his second wife Mis-
Maud l.. Emerson of Brattleborc
who survives with a son, Osmer c.
} and daughter, Miriam. He leave
aleo hiS pnothar apd two Sictarc Mic