Franklin S. Billings Explained

Franklin S. Billings
Order1:60th
Office1:Governor of Vermont
Term Start1:January 8, 1925
Term End1:January 6, 1927
Lieutenant1:Walter K. Farnsworth
Predecessor1:Redfield Proctor Jr.
Successor1:John E. Weeks
Order2:54th
Office2:Lieutenant Governor of Vermont
Term Start2:January 4, 1923
Term End2:January 8, 1925
Governor2:Redfield Proctor, Jr.
Predecessor2:Abram W. Foote
Successor2:Walter K. Farnsworth
Office3:Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives
Term Start3:1921
Term End3:1923
Predecessor3:Charles S. Dana
Successor3:Orlando L. Martin
Office4:Member of the Vermont House of Representatives from Woodstock
Term Start4:1921
Term End4:1923
Predecessor4:Charles Martin White
Successor4:Norman Williams
Term Start5:1910
Term End5:1915
Predecessor5:Wales N. Johnson
Successor5:John Stearns Eaton
Birth Name:Franklin Swift Billings
Birth Date:May 11, 1862
Birth Place:New Bedford, Massachusetts, U.S.
Death Place:Woodstock, Vermont, U.S.
Restingplace:Riverside Cemetery, Woodstock, Vermont, U.S.
Spouse:
    Children:4; including
    Franklin S. Billings, Jr.
    Parents:Franklin Noble Billings
    Nancy Swift Billings
    Profession:Businessman
    Party:Republican
    Allegiance:United States
    Vermont
    Branch:Vermont National Guard
    Branch Label:Service
    Serviceyears:1904–1906
    Rank:Colonel
    Unit:Staff of Governor Charles J. Bell

    Franklin Swift Billings (May 11, 1862 – January 16, 1935) was an American businessman and politician from Woodstock, Vermont. He served as the 54th lieutenant governor of Vermont from 1923 to 1925 and as the 60th governor of Vermont from 1925 to 1927.[1]

    Early life

    Billings was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts, and his parents were Franklin Noble Billings and Nancy Swift Billings.

    He was educated at Adams Academy in Quincy, and graduated from Milton Academy in Milton, Massachusetts. Billings attended Harvard University and graduated in 1885.[2]

    Career

    Billings worked on a Kansas sheep ranch and then engaged in the import-export business in New York City. In 1903 he moved to Vermont and was a director of the Woodstock Railway Company, Hotel Company, Aqueduct Company, and Electric Company. Billings was also President of the Woodstock Ice Supply Company, and Treasurer of the Empire Building Company and the Vermont Investment Company. From 1904 to 1906 he served on the staff of Governor Charles J. Bell as chief of staff of the Vermont National Guard with the rank of colonel. He was the longtime chairman of the Woodstock Village Meeting and an active Republican. He was also a member of the state Commission for the Conservation of Natural Resources and the State Board of Education.

    After serving in the Vermont House of Representatives from 1910 to 1915, Billings returned to the Vermont House from 1921 to 1923 and served as Speaker.[3]

    From 1923 to 1925, Billings was lieutenant governor. In 1924, he won election as governor and served from 1925 to 1927. The federal government established national forests in Vermont during his gubernatorial administration. Also, the Motor Vehicle Department was created, and provision was made for the registration of motor vehicles.[1]

    After leaving the governorship he served on the state Liquor Control Board, and was a member of the Harvard University Board of Overseers.

    Personal life

    On July 12, 1892, he married Elizabeth "Bessie" Hewitt Vail (1869–1917) of New York and they had three children: Elizabeth Swift Billings, Franklin Noble Billings, and Nancy Billings.[2]

    After his first wife's death in 1917, Billings married Gertrude Freeman Curtis (1881–1964) in 1919.[4] They had one son; Franklin S. Billings Jr. (1922–2014), who became Chief Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court and Chief Justice of the United States District Court for the District of Vermont.

    Billings died in Woodstock on January 16, 1935. He is interred at Riverside Cemetery, Woodstock.[5]

    Legacy

    Two Billings family legacies in Woodstock, the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park and the Billings Farm and Museum were created to focus on conservation, rural life and agricultural history.

    External links

    Notes and References

    1. Web site: Franklin S. Billings. National Governors Association. 16 November 2012.
    2. Book: Franklin S. Billings. 1912. 120. Encyclopedia, Vermont Biography. 16 November 2012.
    3. Web site: Franklin S. Billings. The Political Graveyard. 16 November 2012.
    4. News: Mrs. Franklin Billings . 22 November 2019 . . 30 January 1964.
    5. News: Ex-Gov. F. S. Billings Drops Deat at 73: Former Chief Magistrate of Vermont Has Heart Attack; Importer Here 17 Years . 22 November 2019 . . 17 January 1935.