page_title: Seneca Haselton
hierarchical_section_title: Seneca Haselton
caption_attribution_description: English: Seneca Haselton (Associate Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court)
context_page_description: Seneca Haselton was a Vermont educator, attorney and politician. He is notable for his service as mayor of Burlington, Vermont, U.S. Minister to Venezuela, and an Associate Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court.
  A graduate of the University of Vermont and University of Michigan Law School, Haselton practiced law in Burlington beginning in 1875. A Democrat in an era when the Republicans controlled all facets of Vermont's statewide politics, Haselton found success at the local level, including terms as city court judge, member of the Vermont House of Representatives, and Burlington mayor. In 1894, Haselton was appointed U.S. Minister to Venezuela, and he served until 1895, when President Grover Cleveland requested his resignation as part of resolving a dispute between Haselton and the commander of the U.S. Navy's North Atlantic Squadron.
  After serving as Reporter of Decisions for the Vermont Supreme Court, in 1902 he was appointed to the court as an Associate Justice. Haselton served until 1906, when the size of the Supreme Court was reduced. From 1906 to 1908, he served as Chief Judge of the newly-created Vermont Superior Court.
context_section_description: Seneca Haselton (February 26, 1848 – July 21, 1921) was a Vermont educator, attorney and politician.  He is notable for his service as mayor of Burlington, Vermont (1891-1894), U.S. Minister to Venezuela (1894-1895), and an Associate Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court (1902-1906, 1908-1919).
  A graduate of the University of Vermont and University of Michigan Law School, Haselton practiced law in Burlington beginning in 1875.  A Democrat in an era when the Republicans controlled all facets of Vermont's statewide politics, Haselton found success at the local level, including terms as city court judge (1878-1886), member of the Vermont House of Representatives (1886-1887), and Burlington mayor (1891 to 1894).  In 1894, Haselton was appointed U.S. Minister to Venezuela, and he served until 1895, when President Grover Cleveland requested his resignation as part of resolving a dispute between Haselton and the commander of the U.S. Navy's North Atlantic Squadron.
  After serving as Reporter of Decisions for the Vermont Supreme Court (1900-1902), in 1902 he was appointed to the court as an Associate Justice.  Haselton served until 1906, when the size of the Supreme Court was reduced.  From 1906 to 1908, he served as Chief Judge of the newly-created Vermont Superior Court. In what came to be a custom that lasted until the 1970s, the chief judge was chosen by seniority from the Superior Court judges, and advanced to the Supreme Court when a vacancy arose.  In 1908, Haselton was reappointed to the Vermont Supreme Court.  In December 1914, he was one of the justices who were not reappointed as part of a court reorganization plan; public outcry led to the plan being revoked in January 1915, and Haselton maintained his place as an Associate Justice until retiring in 1919.
  Haselton never married or had children.  He died in Burlington in 1921, and was buried at Lakeview Cemetery in Burlington.
caption: From 1894's Men of Vermont Illustrated
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