Jonas Galusha | |
|---|---|
 Frontispiece of Volume V ofRecords of the Governor and Council of the State of Vermont. 1877. | |
| 6th and 8th Governor of Vermont | |
| In office October 14, 1815 – October 23, 1820 | |
| Lieutenant | Paul Brigham |
| Preceded by | Martin Chittenden |
| Succeeded by | Richard Skinner |
| In office October 14, 1809 – October 23, 1813 | |
| Lieutenant | Paul Brigham |
| Preceded by | Isaac Tichenor |
| Succeeded by | Martin Chittenden |
| Associate Judge of theVermont Supreme Court | |
| In office 1807–1808 Serving with Royall Tyler,Theophilus Harrington | |
| Preceded by | Jonathan Robinson |
| Succeeded by | David Fay |
| Member of the Vermont Governor's Council | |
| In office 1801–1807 | |
| Preceded by | John Bridgman |
| Succeeded by | Chauncey Langdon |
| In office 1793–1799 | |
| Preceded by | Timothy Brownson |
| Succeeded by | John Bridgman |
| Member of theVermont House of Representatives fromShaftsbury | |
| In office 1800–1801 | |
| Preceded by | Gideon Olin |
| Succeeded by | Jacob Galusha |
| Assistant Judge ofBennington County, Vermont | |
| In office 1800–1806 | |
| Preceded by | Christopher Roberts |
| Succeeded by | David Sheldon |
| In office 1795–1797 | |
| Preceded by | Gideon Brownson |
| Succeeded by | Christopher Roberts |
| Sheriff ofBennington County, Vermont | |
| In office 1781–1787 | |
| Preceded by | Benjamin Fay |
| Succeeded by | David Robinson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1753-02-11)February 11, 1753 Norwich, Colony of Connecticut, British America |
| Died | September 24, 1834(1834-09-24) (aged 81) Shaftsbury, Vermont, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic-Republican Federalist (1806) |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Chittenden Martha "Patty" Sammons Abigail Ward Abigail "Nabby" Atwater Beach |
| Children | 9, includingElon Galusha |
| Profession | Judge / Politician |
| Signature |  |
Jonas Galusha (February 11, 1753 – September 24, 1834) was thesixth and eighth governor of Vermont for two terms in the early 19th century.
Galusha, born inNorwich in theColony of Connecticut, moved with his siblings and his parents, Jacob and Lydia Huntington Galusha, toSalisbury in 1769. In 1775, his family then moved toShaftsbury.
Galusha's father, Jacob, was a farmer and a blacksmith. Though their educations were limited and from the common schools, he and his brothers were leading men in the town and to some extent in the state.
During theAmerican Revolution his brother David was acolonel in theGreen Mountain Boys, and Galusha was acaptain, fighting in theBattle of Bennington on August 16, 1777.[1]
In 1778, Galusha married Mary Chittenden, daughter ofThomas Chittenden, Governor of the independentRepublic of Vermont. The couple had nine children.[2] Their son, Truman Galusha (The TrumanGalusha House), also married into the Chittenden family, and moved his family toJericho, near Burlington. His home there is also listed on the National Register. Another son,Elon Galusha was a well-known Baptist clergyman, and famous abolitionist.
A farmer and an innkeeper, Galusha was elected Sheriff ofBennington County, and served in that capacity through annual elections from 1781 to 1787. In 1792 he was a member of the firstCouncil of Censors after admission to the Union. (The Council of Censors met every seven years to review statutes passed by theVermont General Assembly and ensure their constitutionality.) From 1793 to 1798 through successive elections, he was a member of the Governor's Council (a group of 12 men with powers which made it nearly equivalent to a co-ordinate branch of the legislature.[3] During that time, his wife, Mary, died in 1794; and he subsequently married Martha "Patty" Sammons, who died in 1797. His third wife was Abigail Ward, who died in 1809. He was a 6-time candidate forVermont's 1st congressional district: in 1796,[4] 1802,[5] 1804,[6] 1806,[7] and the regular[8] and special elections in 1808.[9] He ran as a Federalist in 1806,[7] but otherwise was a Democratic-Republican.
Galusha was a countyassistant judge from 1795 to 1798 and 1800 to 1806. He was a Judge of theVermont Supreme Court in 1807 and in 1808. He married Abigail Ward in June 1808 and she died the following year. In 1808, he served as a presidential elector for theDemocratic-Republican candidacy ofJames Madison.
The following year, Galusha was electedGovernor of Vermont, serving until 1813.[10] He was both the predecessor and the successor of theFederalistMartin Chittenden, brother of Galusha's first wife, Mary Chittenden. During his governorship, he encouraged war with theUnited Kingdom in 1812. In 1814 he was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention. Galusha served another term asGovernor of Vermont, elected year by year from 1815 to 1820. He was a presidential elector in the 1820 and 1824 elections.
Jonas Galusha was the namesake ofGalusha Aaron Grow, a Congressman fromPennsylvania who served asSpeaker of the United States House of Representatives. Grow's aunt, who resided in Vermont, was asked to choose his name at his birth, and she selected "Galusha" because she admired Jonas Galusha, and "Aaron" because it was the name of her husband.[11]
Galusha's fourth wife, Abigail "Nabby" Atwater Beach Galusha died in 1831.[12] He died in Shaftsbury in 1834. He was active in theBaptist Church. He is interred at the Center Shaftsbury Cemetery, Shaftsbury, Center Shaftsbury,Bennington County, Vermont.
The imposing home known as The Gov. Galusha Homestead on Rt.7A in Center Shaftsbury, Vermont, is famous as one of Vermont's architectural treasures. It is listed on theNational Register of Historic Places. The magnificent Palladian window over the front entrance, and many other details are the result of design by Lavius Fillmore, the famous colonial architect from Connecticut who also designed some of Vermont's finest churches in Bennington and Middlebury.[13] The house is also well known for several beautifully-preserved early wall paintings, rare examples of the colonial practice of using murals to imitate wallpaper, which was often unavailable in early Vermont. They are featured in a book calledEarly Vermont Wall Paintings by R. L. McGrath:
Probably the earliest example in Vermont of the technique of painting on plaster in "distemper" (i.e. tempera) occurs in the Gov. Galusha House in Center Shaftsbury. The house was completed in 1809. The Galusha House overmantel ... is the work of a highly skilled artist whose bold floral designs fill the entire surface of the chimney breast and extend as well to the adjoining walls of the room. The elegant floral pattern is executed free hand in dark outline against a dull green background.[14]
In 2010, the homestead and its farmland were protected by covenants between Galusha descendants and the Vermont Land Trust.[15]
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Democratic-Republican nominee forGovernor of Vermont 1809,1810,1811,1812,1813,1814,1815,1816,1817,1818,1819 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Governor of Vermont 1809–1813 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Governor of Vermont 1815–1820 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
