Isaac Fletcher

Isaac Fletcher (November 22, 1784 – October 19, 1842) was an American lawyer and politician. He served as a U.S. Representative from Vermont and as Adjutant General of the Vermont Militia.

Isaac Fletcher
Member of the United States House of Representatives from Vermont's 5th district
In office March 4, 1837 – March 3, 1841
Preceded by	Henry Fisk Janes
Succeeded by	John Mattocks
Adjutant General of the Vermont Militia
In office 1824–1833
Preceded by	Daniel Kellogg
Succeeded by	Martin Flint
Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives
In office 1824–1825
Preceded by	George E. Wales
Succeeded by	D. Azro A. Buck
State's Attorney of Caledonia County, Vermont
In office 1820–1828
Preceded by	William A. Griswold
Succeeded by	Charles Davis
Member of the Vermont House of Representatives from Lyndon
In office 1819-1821
Preceded by	Isiah Fisk
Succeeded by	Isiah Fisk
In office 1822-1823
Preceded by	Isiah Fisk
Succeeded by	Isiah Fisk
In office 1824-1825
Preceded by	Isiah Fisk
Succeeded by	William Cahoon
Personal details
Born	November 22, 1784 Dunstable, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died	October 19, 1842 (aged 57) Lyndon, Vermont, U.S.
Political party	Democratic-Republican Democratic
Spouse(s)	Abigail Stone Fletcher
Children	Charles B. Fletcher
Alma mater	Dartmouth College University of Vermont
Profession	Politician, Lawyer

Biography

Fletcher was born in Dunstable, Massachusetts[1] to Joseph Fletcher and Molly Cummings Fletcher.[2] He pursued classical studies, and graduated with honors from Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire in 1808.[3] He taught at the academy at Chesterfield, New Hampshire while in college, and after graduating he studied law with the firm of Prescott & Dunbar in Keene, New Hampshire. He was admitted to the bar in Keene and in Newfane, Vermont in December 1811, and moved to Lyndon, Vermont to start a practice. Among the prospective attorneys who studied under Fletcher were Thomas J. D. Fuller and Thomas Bartlett Jr.[4]

He was a member of the Vermont House of Representatives for several terms between 1819 and 1825, and served as Speaker from 1824 to 1825. Fletcher was Caledonia County State's Attorney from 1820 until 1828, and a member of the state constitutional convention in 1822.[5] Fletcher received a master's degree from the University of Vermont in 1823.[6]

He was military aide to Governor Richard Skinner, and served as Adjutant General of the State Militia from 1824 until 1833.[7][8]

He was elected as a Democrat to the Twenty-fifth and Twenty-sixth Congresses, serving from March 4, 1837 until March 3, 1841.[9] While in Congress, he was the Chairman of the Committee on Patents. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1840 to the Twenty-seventh Congress.

Personal life

Fletcher married Abigail Stone on February 4, 1812. They had one son, Charles B. Fletcher.[10]

Death

Fletcher's health declined rapidly during his final term in Congress, which was attributed by doctors to overwork. He died in Lyndon on October 19, 1842 and is interred at the Lyndon Town Cemetery in Lyndon.[11]

References

1. Nason and Varney (1890). Massachusetts Gazetteer. Nason and Varney. p. 279.
2. "Isaac Fletcher (1784 - 1842)". Ancestry.com. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
3. Nason, Elias (1877). A history of the town of Dunstable, Massachusetts, from its earliest settlement to the year of Our Lord 1873. A. Mudge. pp. 218.
4. "Lyndon: Thomas J. D. Fuller". Vermont Journal. Windsor, VT. March 18, 1876. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Fletcher, Isaac (1784-1842)". The Political Graveyard. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
6. The Washington Theological Repertory, and Churchman's Guide, Volume 5; Volume 7. The Washington Theological Repertory, and Churchman's Guide, Volume 5; Volume 7. 1823. p. 125.
7. Nason, Elias (1877). A history of the town of Dunstable, Massachusetts, from its earliest settlement to the year of Our Lord 1873. A. Mudge. pp. 218.
8. "Appointment by the Governor: Maj. Martin Flint, of Randolph, to be Adjutant general of the Militia of Vermont, vice gen. Isaac Fletcher, resigned or removed". Burlington Sentinel. Burlington, VT. August 16, 1833. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Rep. Isaac Fletcher". Govtrack.us. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
10. "Descendants of Robert Fletcher". Ancestry.com. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
11. Biographical Directory of the United States Congress

Further reading

• "A history of the town of Dunstable, Massachusetts, from its earliest settlement to the year of Our Lord 1873" by Elias Nason and George Bailey Loring, published by A. Mudge, 1877.

External links

• Govtrack.us
• The Political Graveyard
• Isaac Fletcher at Find a Grave