Bert L. Stafford | |
|---|---|
_2.jpg) Rutland Herald, May 15, 1936 | |
| President of theVermont Bar Association | |
| In office January 9, 1930 – October 8, 1930 | |
| Preceded by | Homer L. Skeels |
| Succeeded by | George L. Hunt |
| Mayor ofRutland, Vermont | |
| In office March 4, 1915 – March 7, 1917 | |
| Preceded by | Henry C. Brislin |
| Succeeded by | Henry C. Brislin |
| State's Attorney ofRutland County, Vermont | |
| In office December 1, 1910 – January 31, 1915 | |
| Preceded by | Joseph C. Jones |
| Succeeded by | Camille V. Poulin |
| Member of theVermont House of Representatives fromTinmouth | |
| In office October 4, 1906 – October 7, 1908 | |
| Preceded by | Henry H. Ballard |
| Succeeded by | Aaron L. Pitts |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1877-12-14)December 14, 1877 |
| Died | December 14, 1941(1941-12-14) (aged 64) |
| Resting place | Evergreen Cemetery, Rutland, Vermont |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Mabel Rose Stratton (m. 1911–1941, his death) |
| Children | 3 (includingRobert Stafford) |
| Education | Middlebury College |
| Profession | Attorney |
Bert Linus Stafford (December 14, 1877 – July 29, 1941) was an American attorney and politician fromVermont. ARepublican, he was most notable for his service in theVermont House of Representatives from 1906 to 1908, asState's Attorney ofRutland County from 1910 to 1915, and asmayor ofRutland from 1915 to 1917. He was the father of Vermont governor and U.S. SenatorRobert Stafford.
Bert L. Stafford was born inTinmouth, Vermont on December 14, 1877, the son of Daniel Bartlett and Mary M. (Valentine) Stafford.[1] He attended the schools of Tinmouth,Wallingford High School, and the Rutland Institute.[2] He then began attendance atMiddlebury College, from which he graduated in 1901 with aBachelor of Arts degree.[2] Stafford was the president of his senior class[3] and a member of theDelta Upsilon fraternity.[4]
After his graduation, Stafford joined the teaching service organized by theUnited States Office of Education to provide instruction to students in thePhilippines following thePhilippine–American War.[1] Stafford taught students inManila from 1901 to 1904, when he returned to Vermont to recuperate after contractingmalaria.[1] Upon returning to Vermont, Staffordstudied law at the Rutland office of Lawrence and Lawrence.[2] He wasadmitted to the bar in October 1906, and became a partner in the firm of Lawrence, Lawrence and Stafford.[2] The firm was later reorganized withAsa S. Bloomer as a partner, and operated as Lawrence, Stafford and Bloomer.[2]
ARepublican, Stafford represented Tinmouth in theVermont House of Representatives from 1906 to 1908.[2] From 1910 to 1915, he served asState's Attorney ofRutland County.[1] He later moved to Rutland, and he served asmayor from 1915 to 1917.[2] During World War I, Stafford served on thedraft board for the district which included Rutland.[1]
Stafford was involved in several Rutland-area businesses, including serving as president and a director of the Rutland County National Bank, trustee of the Marble Savings Bank, and director of the Cahee House Furnishing Company.[1] Stafford was aFreemason and member of the RutlandRotary Club.[1] In addition, he was a member and president of both the county andstate bar associations.[1] He served on the state board of education for nearly twenty years, and was its chairman for six.[1]
In December 1936, Stafford, GovernorCharles Manley Smith, president of the Marble Savings Bank, and other bank officials were charged with fraud for failing to inform account holders and authorities about an embezzlement.[5] In May, 1932 Smith had learned that the bank's bookkeeper, John J. Cocklin, had stolen $251,000 (about $5.2 million in 2022).[5] Smith let him leave quietly, kept the theft secret, and charged the loss against the bank's surplus.[5] In July, 1935 Cocklin was named Rutland's assistant city treasurer and planned a candidacy for treasurer.[6] To prevent this, his opponents leaked word of his theft to the press.[6] Cocklin was convicted and jailed,[7] and the bank's treasurer received a sentence of six months imprisonment, which was suspended, and a $400 fine.[8] Smith was acquitted at his trial, while charges against Stafford and the other parties were dismissed.[9][10]
Stafford began to experience declining health in the 1930s, and suffered three heart attacks.[1] His health improved each time to the point where he was able to resume working.[1] He died of a cerebral hemorrhage in Rutland on July 29, 1941.[1] Stafford was buried atEvergreen Cemetery in Rutland.[11]
In November 1911, Stafford married Mabel Rose Stratton ofLinesville, Pennsylvania (1883-1976).[1] They were the parents of three children: Robert Theodore (1913–2006), Thomas Bartlett (1916–1990), and Shirley Ruth (1917–2003).[1]
Robert Theodore Stafford was an attorney and politician who served asgovernor of Vermont and aU.S. Senator.[12] Thomas Stafford was businessman who served as executive vice president of theVermont Marble Company and was a member of theVermont House of Representatives.[13] Shirley Ruth Stafford was a Rutland-areareal estate broker.[14]