Luke Potter Poland | |
|---|---|
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| Member of the United States House of Representatives fromVermont's2nd district | |
| In office March 4, 1883 – March 3, 1885 | |
| Preceded by | James M. Tyler |
| Succeeded by | William W. Grout |
| In office March 4, 1867 – March 3, 1875 | |
| Preceded by | Justin Smith Morrill |
| Succeeded by | Dudley C. Denison |
| United States Senator fromVermont | |
| In office November 21, 1865 – March 3, 1867 | |
| Preceded by | Jacob Collamer |
| Succeeded by | Justin S. Morrill |
| Member of theVermont House of Representatives | |
| In office 1886–1887 | |
| Preceded by | Orpheus T. Taylor |
| Succeeded by | Myron E. Church |
| Constituency | Waterville |
| In office 1878–1880 | |
| Preceded by | Elijah Dickinson Blodgett |
| Succeeded by | Walter P. Smith |
| Constituency | St. Johnsbury |
| Chief Justice of theVermont Supreme Court | |
| In office 1860–1865 | |
| Preceded by | Isaac F. Redfield |
| Succeeded by | John Pierpoint |
| Associate Justice of theVermont Supreme Court | |
| In office 1857–1860 | |
| Preceded by | Pierpoint Isham |
| Succeeded by | Asahel Peck |
| In office 1849–1850 | |
| Preceded by | Charles Davis |
| Succeeded by | None (Size of court reduced) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1815-11-01)November 1, 1815 |
| Died | July 2, 1887(1887-07-02) (aged 71) |
| Resting place | Mount Pleasant Cemetery,St. Johnsbury, Vermont, US |
| Political party | Democratic (1836–1848) Free Soil (1848–1854) Republican (from 1854) |
| Spouse(s) | Martha Smith Poland (m. 1838) Adelia Henrietta Poland (m. 1854) |
| Children | 4 |
| Relatives | Martha L. Poland Thurston (niece) |
| Profession | Attorney |
Luke Potter Poland (November 1, 1815 – July 2, 1887) was an American attorney, politician, and judge from Vermont. ARepublican, he was most notable for his service as ajustice of theVermont Supreme Court (associate justice from 1848 to 1849 and 1857 to 1860, chief justice from 1860 to 1865).
A native ofWestford, Vermont, Poland was educated in the local schools and atJericho Academy. While still in school, he worked in his father's sawmill and as a store clerk inWaterville. He received his qualification as a teacher, then taught school whilestudying law with an attorney inMorristown. He wasadmitted to the bar in 1836 and practiced inMorrisville.
Poland was an opponent of slavery and became active in politics as aDemocrat, then gravitated to theFree Soil Party andRepublican Party as the abolition movement gained increasing prominence in the 1840s and 1850s. He served in county offices including register ofprobate andstate's attorney before being appointed an associate justice of theVermont Supreme Court, an office he held from 1848 to 1849 and 1857 to 1860. From 1860 to 1865, he served as the court's chief justice.
In October 1865, Poland was appointed to temporarily succeedJacob Collamer in theUnited States Senate, and he served from November 21, 1865, to March 3, 1867. In 1866, he was elected to theUnited States House of Representatives, and he served three terms, from March 4, 1867, to March 3, 1875. In 1882, he was again elected to the U.S. House and served one term, from March 4, 1883, to March 3, 1885.
Poland died at his summer home inWaterville, Vermont on July 2, 1887. He was buried at Mount Pleasant Cemetery inSt. Johnsbury, Vermont
Poland was born inWestford, Vermont son of Luther and Nancy Potter Poland.[1] His father was a carpenter, farmer, and sawmill owner who also representedWaterville, Vermont in theVermont House of Representatives.[2] He attended the common schools of Waterville and theJericho Academy.[3] Poland was employed as a clerk in aWaterville store, worked in his father's sawmill, and taught in the public schools ofMorrisville, Vermont.[4] Hestudied law in theMorristown, Vermont office of attorney Samuel A. Willard and wasadmitted to the bar in December 1836.[2]
Poland was also active in politics as an opponent of slavery, initially as aDemocrat, and in 1848 was the party's unsuccessful nominee forlieutenant governor.[5] He later became a member of theFree Soil Party.[6] He became aRepublican when the party was founded in the mid-1850s and maintained that affiliation for the rest of his life.[7]
He practiced inMorrisville.[2] Poland was registrar ofprobate from 1839 to 1840 and was a member of the Stateconstitutional convention of 1843.[8] In 1844 and 1845 he was thestate's attorney ofLamoille County,[9] and in 1848 he succeededCharles Davis as an associate justice of theVermont Supreme Court, a position in which he served until 1849.[10] In 1850, Poland moved toSt. Johnsbury, Vermont.[11] From 1850 to 1857, he served as a judge of the Vermont Circuit Court.[12] He served as an associate justice again from 1857 to 1860, succeedingPierpoint Isham.[12] In 1860, he succeededIsaac F. Redfield as chief justice; he served until 1865, and was succeeded byJohn Pierpoint.[12]
On October 24, 1865, Poland was elected to the U.S. Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the death ofJacob Collamer, and he served from November 21, 1865, to March 3, 1867.[6] He was then elected to the House of Representatives for the40th and the three succeeding Congresses, serving from March 4, 1867, to March 3, 1875.[13] While in the U.S. House, he was chairman of the Committee on Revisal and Unfinished Business (40th Congress) and a member of the Committee on Revision of the Laws (40th,41st, and43rd Congresses).[14] He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection to the44th Congress in 1874.[14]
In 1874, Poland served as chair of the "Poland Committee", tasked with reporting on the "Condition of Affairs in the State of Arkansas" after theBrooks-Baxter War[15]
After leaving the House, Poland continued to practice law in St. Johnsbury.[11] In 1878, he was elected to a term in theVermont House of Representatives, where he was appointed chairman of the Judiciary Committee.[11] Poland was also a trustee of theUniversity of Vermont and president of the First National Bank of St. Johnsbury.[11]
In 1882, Poland was again elected to the U.S. House.[11] He served one term (48th Congress, March 4, 1883 to March 3, 1885).[11] He was not a candidate for renomination in 1884 and resumed practicing law in St. Johnsbury.[11]
In retirement, Poland resided in Waterville, where he had purchased and renovated his father-in-law's home.[11] In 1886, he was elected to represent Waterville in the Vermont House and was again selected to chair the Judiciary Committee.[11] He died in Waterville on July 2, 1887.[9] Poland was buried at Mount Pleasant Cemetery in St. Johnsbury.[16]
In 1858, theUniversity of Vermont (UVM) awarded Poland thehonorary degree ofMaster of Arts.[17] In 1861, UVM awarded him an honoraryLL.D.[17]
In 1838, Poland married Martha Smith Page and they had three children.[18] Martha died in 1853 and he married her sister, Adelia Henrietta.[18] With his first wife, Poland's children included: Susan E. (1840–1841); Martin Luther (1841–1878), aWest Point graduate andcaptain in theUnited States Army who died while on duty atFort Yuma on theCalifornia-Arizona border; Mary Frances (1843–1865); and Isabel Emma (1848–1927), the wife of first Andrew E. Rankin, and then Henry O. Cushman.[18]
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Jacob Scott | Free Soil nominee forLieutenant Governor of Vermont 1848 | Succeeded by Daniel Roberts, Jr. |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by | U.S. senator (Class 3) from Vermont November 21, 1865 – March 3, 1867 Served alongside:Solomon Foot andGeorge F. Edmunds | Succeeded by |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromVermont's 2nd congressional district March 4, 1867 – March 3, 1875 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromVermont's 2nd congressional district March 4, 1883 – March 3, 1885 | Succeeded by |
| Class 1 |  | |
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| Class 3 | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
