Horace Eaton

Horace Eaton (June 22, 1804 – July 4, 1855) was an American Whig politician, a medical doctor, the twelfth lieutenant governor of Vermont, and the eighteenth governor of Vermont.

Horace Eaton
18th Governor of Vermont
In office October 9, 1846 – October 1848
Lieutenant	Leonard Sargeant Robert Pierpoint
Preceded by	William Slade
Succeeded by	Carlos Coolidge
13th Lieutenant Governor of Vermont
In office October 13, 1843 – October 9, 1846
Governor	John Mattocks William Slade
Preceded by	Waitstill R. Ranney
Succeeded by	Leonard Sargeant
Member of the Vermont Senate
In office 1837 1839–1842
Personal details
Born	June 22, 1804 Barnard, Vermont
Died	July 4, 1855 (aged 51) Middlebury, Vermont
Political party	Whig
Profession	doctor / professor / politician

Biography

Eaton was born in Barnard, Vermont on June 22, 1804. He graduated from Middlebury College in 1825, taught at Middlebury Academy for two years, then moved to Enosburg, a village in Berkshire, Vermont, where his father practiced medicine. He studied with his father while attending medical school at Castleton State College; Eaton graduated in 1828, and then joined his father's practice. He was married twice; first to Cordelia H. Fuller with whom he had two children, and then to Edna Palmer.[1]

Career

Eaton was town clerk of Enosburg. He was a member of the Vermont Senate in 1837 and from 1839 to 1842.[2]

Eaton was elected the 12th lieutenant governor of Vermont and served from 1843 to 1846.[3]

Eaton served as the eighteenth governor of Vermont from 1846 to 1848. He was a delegate to the state Constitutional Convention in 1848. During his administration, he opposed the admission of slave states to the Union and to the Mexican War.[4]

Eaton played a key role in the creation of the state Superintendent of Public Instruction position, and he was the first one to hold it, serving from 1845 to 1850. In 1848 he was appointed professor of chemistry and natural history at Middlebury, and held the chair until 1855.

Death

Eaton died in Middlebury, Vermont on July 4, 1855, the 79th anniversary of American independence; and is interred at Enosburg Center Cemetery, Enosburg Center, Franklin County, Vermont.[1][3]

References

1. "Horace Eaton". National Governors Association. Retrieved October 31, 2012.
2. "Horace Eaton". The Political Graveyard. Retrieved October 31, 2012.
3. "Horace Eaton". The Political Graveyard. Retrieved November 1, 2012.
4. "Horace eaton". National Governors Association. Retrieved November 1, 2012.

External links

• Horace Eaton at The Political Graveyard
• Enosburgh Center Cemetery
• Horace Eaton at National Governors Association
• Horace Eaton at Find a Grave