William Cullen Kittredge (February 23, 1800 – June 11, 1869) was a Vermont lawyer and politician. He served as 18th lieutenant governor of Vermont from 1852 to 1853.

William C. Kittredge
Illustration from National Life Insurance Company of Montpelier, Vermont
18th Lieutenant Governor of Vermont
In office
1852–1853
GovernorErastus Fairbanks
Preceded byJulius Converse
Succeeded byJefferson P. Kidder
Member of the Vermont Senate from Rutland County
In office
1838–1840
Serving with Robert Pierpoint, Obadiah Noble
Preceded byRobert Pierpoint, Thomas D. Hammond, Zimri Howe
Succeeded byIsaac Norton, Orson Clark, Anderson G. Dana
Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives
In office
1848–1850
Preceded bySolomon Foot
Succeeded byThomas E. Powers
Member of the Vermont House of Representatives from Fair Haven
In office
1856–1857
Preceded byJoseph Adams
Succeeded byHiram Hamilton
In office
1847–1850
Preceded byJonathan Capen
Succeeded byAbram Graves
In office
1837–1838
Preceded byBarnabas Ellis
Succeeded byAdams Dutton
In office
1833–1834
Preceded byTilly Gilbert
Succeeded byBarnabas Ellis
In office
1831–1832
Preceded byJohn Jones
Succeeded byTilly Gilbert
State's Attorney of Rutland County, Vermont
In office
1848–1849
Preceded byEdgar L. Ormsbee
Succeeded byEzra June
In office
1843–1845
Preceded bySolomon Foot
Succeeded byEdgar L. Ormsbee
Assistant Judge of Rutland County, Vermont
In office
1833–1839
Serving with Henry Hodges (1833), Nathan T. Sprague (1834–1839)
Preceded byHenry Hodges, John P. Colburn
Succeeded byZimri Howe, Nathan T. Sprague
Personal details
Born(1800-02-23)February 23, 1800
Dalton, Massachusetts
DiedJune 11, 1869(1869-06-11) (aged 69)
Rutland, Vermont
Political partyWhig (before 1856)
Republican
Spouse(s)Maria Hatch (m. 1827)
Harriet Newell Adams (m. 1831)
Charlotte (Pomeroy) Button (m. 1838)
Children12
EducationWilliams College
ProfessionAttorney
Businessman
Signature

Early life edit

William Cullen Kittredge was born in Dalton, Massachusetts, on February 23, 1800, the son of Dr. Abel Kittredge and Eunice (Chamberlain) Kittredge. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Williams College in 1821, received a master's degree from Williams in 1824, studied law with E. H. Mills and Lewis Strong of Northampton, and was admitted to the bar. He practiced in Kentucky and Ohio before settling in Fair Haven, Vermont, in 1824.[1][2][3][4]

Business and political career edit

In addition to practicing law, Kittredge was involved in several business ventures, including serving as the first President of National Life Insurance Company and owning a partnership in a successful marble company.[5]

Kittredge served for eight years in the Vermont House of Representatives, including two as Speaker.[6] He also served in the Vermont Senate and as Rutland County State's Attorney and Assistant Judge and Judge of the County Court.[7] Kittredge was the successful Whig nominee for Lieutenant Governor in 1852 and served from 1852 to 1853.[8][9][10][11]

Death edit

After leaving office Kittredge continued to practice law in Fair Haven. He became a Republican when the party was founded in the mid 1850s.[12] Kittredge died in Rutland, Vermont, on June 11, 1869, while en route to Bennington to assume the post of U.S. Internal Revenue Assessor.[13][14] He was buried at West Street Cemetery in Fair Haven.[15]

References edit

  1. ^ Historic Homes and Institutions and Genealogical and Personal Memoirs of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, edited by Rollin Hillyer Cooke, Volume 2, 1906, page 340
  2. ^ General Catalogue of the Officers and Graduates of Williams College, published by the college, 1905, page 42
  3. ^ Phi Beta Kappa, Gamma of Massachusetts, published by Williams College, 1887, page 12
  4. ^ History of Rutland County, Vermont, Part 1, by Henry Perry Smith and William S. Rann, 1886, page 279
  5. ^ National Life Insurance Company: A History of its Foundation and Development, 1850-1925, National Life Insurance Company, 1925, page 30
  6. ^ Vermont: The Green Mountain State, by Walter Hill Crockett, Volume 3, 1921, page 370
  7. ^ Journal of the House of the State of Vermont, published by Vermont General Assembly, 1848, page 265
  8. ^ General Election Results, Vermont Lieutenant Governor, 1813-2011, by Vermont Secretary of State, State Archives and Records Administration, 2011, page 8
  9. ^ Journal of the General Assembly of the State of Vermont, published by Vermont General Assembly, 1832, page 92
  10. ^ Williams Biographical Annals, by Rev. Calvin Durfee, 1871, page 403
  11. ^ Bench and Bar of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, by William Thomas Davis, Volume 2, 1895, page 298
  12. ^ "Vermont Election". The Daily Free Press. Burlington, VT. September 4, 1856. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ A History of the Town of Fair Haven, Vermont: In Three Parts, by Andrew Napoleon Adams, 1870, page 219
  14. ^ Men of Vermont: An Illustrated Biographical History of Vermonters and Sons of Vermont, compiled by Jacob G. Ullery, 1894, page 183
  15. ^ Vermont Old Cemetery Association
Political offices
Preceded by Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives
1848–1850
Succeeded by
Preceded by Lieutenant Governor of Vermont
1852–1853
Succeeded by