Charles Azro Prouty (October 9, 1853 – July 8, 1921) was an American

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

politician and government official who was involved with reform movements including the Progressive and

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. He served as a commissioner of the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) from 1896 to 1914. He was an unsuccessful candidate for the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

from

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

in 1914, losing to incumbent Republican senator William P. Dillingham.

Early life

Prouty was born on October 9, 1853, in Newport, Vermont, to John Azro Prouty and Hannah Barker Lamb. In 1875, Prouty graduated at the top of his class at

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native ...

. He worked briefly at the Alleghany City Observatory in Pennsylvania, but ill health forced his return to Vermont, where he studied law with Theophilus Grout and was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1877.

Vermont businessman and politician

Prouty was twice elected State's Attorney of Orleans County (1882 and 1884), and in 1888 he won a term in the Vermont House of Representatives. He served as principal of Newport Academy for two years. From 1888 to 1896, Prouty served as Reporter of Decisions for the

Vermont Supreme Court The Vermont Supreme Court is the highest judicial authority of the U.S. state of Vermont. Unlike most other states, the Vermont Supreme Court hears appeals directly from the trial courts, as Vermont has no intermediate appeals court. The Court ...

. He also helped to found the Orleans Trust Company and the Newport Electric Company. He served as general counsel for the Rutland and

Central Vermont Railroad The Central Vermont Railway was a railroad that operated in the U.S. states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont, as well as the Canadian province of Quebec. It connected Montreal, Quebec, with New London, Conne ...

Interstate Commerce Commission

On December 14, 1896, President

Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. Cleveland is the only president in American ...

nominated Prouty to the ICC. Prouty was confirmed by the Senate on December 17, and was sworn in on December 21 to serve an unexpired term ending in 1901. President

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

reappointed him in 1901 and in 1907. Prouty served a one-year term, elected by his fellow commissioners, as chairman of the commission from 1912 to 1913. While on the commission, he urged Congress to increase regulation of railroad rates, and allow the Commission to value railroad property. When Congress finally passed the Valuation Act in 1913, Prouty resigned, effective in 1914, to become the commission's first director of valuation. Prouty ran for Senator from Vermont in 1914, but lost to incumbent Republican Senator William P. Dillingham. Prouty had received the endorsement of the

Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcohol ...

and Progressive parties, while failing to win the Democratic nomination at the state

Democratic convention The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 ...

. When Democratic nominee Charles D. Watson withdrew, the party's state committee substituted Prouty. In the general election, Prouty was defeated by about 7,000 votes.

Later life

In 1915, Prouty received the

honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hon ...

LL.D. Legum Doctor (Latin: “teacher of the laws”) (LL.D.) or, in English, Doctor of Laws, is a doctorate-level academic degree in law or an honorary degree, depending on the jurisdiction. The double “L” in the abbreviation refers to the early ...

from

. In 1918, Prouty became the

United States Railroad Administration The United States Railroad Administration (USRA) was the name of the nationalized railroad system of the United States between December 28, 1917, and March 1, 1920. It was the largest American experiment with nationalization, and was undertaken a ...

's director of the Division of Public Service and Accounting. On July 8, 1921, he died at his Newport home. He was buried at East Main Street Cemetery in Newport.

Family

In 1879, Prouty married Abbie Davis of Lyndonville. They were the parents of two sons, Ward and John. Charles Prouty was the brother of

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

George H. Prouty and the uncle of

United States Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

Winston L. Prouty.Vermont, the Land of Green Mountains
published by Vermont Secretary of State, 1913, page 134

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Prouty, Charles A. 1853 births 1921 deaths People from Newport (city), Vermont Dartmouth College alumni Republican Party members of the Vermont House of Representatives People of the Interstate Commerce Commission United States Railroad Administration