Abram W. Foote Explained

Abram W. Foote
Office1:Lieutenant Governor of Vermont
Term Start1:1921
Term End1:1923
Predecessor1:Mason S. Stone
Successor1:Franklin S. Billings
Office2:Member of the Vermont Senate from Addison County
Term Start2:1917
Term End2:1919
Alongside2:Henry E. Day
Predecessor2:Cyrus H. Smith, William Noonan
Successor2:Ira H. LaFleur, Stephen E. Noonan
Office3:Member of the Vermont House of Representatives from Cornwall
Term Start3:1915
Term End3:1917
Predecessor3:Franklin E. Foote
Successor3:John H. Atwood
Term Start4:1900
Term End4:1902
Predecessor4:Lyman W. Peete
Successor4:Charles C. Frost
Office5:Assistant Judge of Addison County, Vermont
Term Start5:1903
Term End5:1907
Alongside5:Barney W. Collins (1903), Edward A. Field (1905)
Predecessor5:Bernard M. Collins, Henry D. Branch
Successor5:Edward A. Field, Frank C. Dyer
Birth Date:24 October 1862
Birth Place:Cornwall, Vermont, U.S.
Death Place:Middlebury, Vermont, U.S.
Resting Place:Evergreen Cemetery, West Cornwall, Vermont
Party:Republican Party
Spouse:Kate Dodge Nichols (m. 1883)
Children:8
Relatives:Ralph A. Foote (grandson)
Occupation:Businessman

Abram William Foote (October 24, 1862 – May 14, 1941) was a Vermont businessman and politician. He served as the 53rd lieutenant governor of Vermont from 1921 to 1923.

Early life

Abram William Foote was born in Cornwall, Vermont on October 24, 1862.[1] He was educated in Middlebury, and went to Middlebury Union High School.[2]

Business career

Foote was a farmer and businessman, with interests in banking, insurance and other companies. He organized the Cornwall Telephone Company and built the first line from Addison County to Burlington, a venture he later sold to New England Telephone. In 1908, he organized the Rutland County Telephone Company, of which he served as General Manager.[3] [4]

Political career

A Republican, he served in several local offices in Cornwall and was a member of the Vermont House of Representatives from 1900 to 1902. Foote was elected Addison County Assistant Judge in 1902, and reelected in 1904. He again won election to the Vermont House in 1914, serving one term. Foote won election to the Vermont Senate in 1916, serving from 1917 to 1919. In 1920, he was elected Lieutenant Governor and served from 1921 to 1923.[5] [6] [7]

In 1922, Foote ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination for governor, losing to Redfield Proctor Jr.[8] [9] Foote served in the Vermont House of Representatives again from 1931 to 1933.[10]

Foote was a delegate to the 1928 Republican National Convention.[11]

Death and legacy

Foote died in Middlebury, Vermont on May 14, 1941, and was buried in West Cornwall's Evergreen Cemetery.[12] He was the grandfather of Ralph A. Foote, who served as Lieutenant Governor from 1961 to 1965.[13]

Published works

Notes and References

  1. Vermont Legislative Directory, published by Vermont Secretary of State, 1917, page 507
  2. Book: Myrick . Rawson C. . Vermont Legislative Directory and State Manual . 1941 . Vermont Secretary of State . 657 . November 10, 2021.
  3. https://books.google.com/books?id=8dDUv19AKv4C&dq=%22foote%2C+abram+william%22&pg=PA374 Who's Who in New England
  4. https://books.google.com/books?id=tt2_3hTQxFMC&dq=%22foote%2C+abram+william%22&pg=PA193 Encyclopedia of Vermont Biography
  5. https://books.google.com/books?id=EeV6r-D7w9oC&dq=%22abram+w+foote%22+vermont+lieutenant+governor&pg=PA548 Vermont: The Green Mountain State
  6. http://vermont-archives.org/govhistory/Officials/pdf/ltgov.pdf Lieutenant Governors, Terms of Service
  7. https://books.google.com/books?id=hTdFAAAAYAAJ&q=foote&pg=PA405 Journal of the Senate of the State of Vermont
  8. https://web.archive.org/web/20110616195430/http://vermont-archives.org/govhistory/elect/primary/pdf/p1922.pdf 1922 Primary Election results
  9. Newspaper article, Proctor Wins in Vermont, Indianapolis Star, September 14, 1922
  10. Who's Who Among Association Executives, Institute for Research in Biography, Inc., 1935, page 174
  11. Book: Myrick . Rawson C. . Vermont Legislative Directory and State Manual . 1941 . Vermont Secretary of State . 657 . November 10, 2021.
  12. https://www.nytimes.com/1941/05/15/archives/abram-w-foote-vermont-lieutenant-governor-i-192123-valued-farms-for.html Obituary, Abram W. Foote
  13. Newspaper article, Miss Judith E. Foote Becomes Bride of William G. Hermann, Bennington Banner, July 31, 1956