Charles Chapin (July 10, 1803 - January 6, 1878) was a physician and public official from Brattleboro, Vermont. Among the offices in which he served were member of the

Vermont House of Representatives The Vermont House of Representatives is the lower house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The House comprises 150 members, with each member representing around 4,100 citizens. Representatives ar ...

(1833-1834) and

United States Marshal The United States Marshals Service (USMS) is a federal law enforcement agency in the United States. The USMS is a bureau within the U.S. Department of Justice, operating under the direction of the Attorney General, but serves as the enforcem ...

for the

District of Vermont The United States District Court for the District of Vermont (in case citations, D. Vt.) is the federal district court whose jurisdiction is the federal district of Vermont. The court has locations in Brattleboro, Burlington, and Rutland. The ...

(1853-1857).

Biography

Charles Chapin was born in

Orange, Massachusetts Orange is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 7,569 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. Part of the town is included in the census-designated plac ...

July 10, 1803, a son of Judge Oliver Chapin (1759-1811) and Mary (Jones) Chapin (1765-1849). At birth, Chapin's name was recorded as Charles Oliver Chapin, but he did not use a middle name, and his name sometimes appeared in contemporary newspaper articles as "Chas. Chapin". Oliver Chapin's family moved to Brattleboro, Vermont soon after Chapin's birth, and he was raised in Brattleboro and educated by a private tutor. Chapin graduated from

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

in 1823, studied medicine under a doctor in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, and became a physician in

Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States, and the seat of Hampden County. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ...

. In 1831, Chapin moved back to Brattleboro, where he gave up the practice of medicine for a career in business and public service. Active in politics as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, he was a longtime deputy sheriff of Windham County, represented Brattleboro in the

from 1833 to 1834, and was Brattleboro's longtime town meeting moderator. In addition to his public service career, Chapin was active in several business ventures, including serving on the board of directors of the Vermont Mutual Insurance Company and the

Vermont Valley Railroad The Vermont Valley Railroad was a line in Vermont and New Hampshire, running from Brattleboro to the Vermont-New Hampshire line at Windsor, now part of the Connecticut River Line. Hugh H. Henry (1814-1869) of Chester, Vermont was an original in ...

. In 1831, Chapin was one of the incorporators of the Bennington and Brattleboro Railroad. In 1843, he was an original incorporator of the Brattleboro' and Fitchburg Railroad. He was also active in Brattleboro's volunteer fire department and the Vermont State Agricultural Society, and was often consulted by doctors in Windham County even though he had given up actively practicing medicine. On several occasions, Chapin was appointed as disbursing agent for funds used in the construction of state government buildings in Southern Vermont, including facilities in

Rutland Rutland () is a ceremonial county and unitary authority in the East Midlands, England. The county is bounded to the west and north by Leicestershire, to the northeast by Lincolnshire and the southeast by Northamptonshire. Its greatest len ...

and Windsor. In 1845, he was an unsuccessful Democratic candidate for the

Vermont Senate The Vermont Senate is the upper house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The senate consists of 30 members. Senate districting divides the 30 members into three single-member districts, six two-m ...

. In 1850, he was the unsuccessful Democratic nominee for

Sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

of Windham County. In 1853, Chapin was appointed

for the

, succeeding

John Pettes John Pettes (March 17, 1793 - March 24, 1868) was a businessman and public official who was active in Windsor, Vermont. Among the offices in which he served were Sheriff of Windsor County (1837-1839) and United States Marshal for the District ...

. He served until the end of the administration of President

Franklin Pierce Franklin Pierce (November 23, 1804October 8, 1869) was the 14th president of the United States, serving from 1853 to 1857. He was a northern Democrat who believed that the abolitionist movement was a fundamental threat to the nation's unity ...

, and was succeeded by Lewis S. Partridge. In 1871, Chapin suffered a stroke which left him partially paralyzed. He died at his Brattleboro home on January 6, 1878. Chapin was buried at Prospect Hill Cemetery in Brattleboro. His death occurred on the 48th anniversary of his second marriage.

Family

In 1827, Chapin married Elizabeth B. Bridge (1807-1828) of

Charlestown, Massachusetts Charlestown is the oldest neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts, in the United States. Originally called Mishawum by the Massachusett tribe, it is located on a peninsula north of the Charles River, across from downtown Boston, and also adjoins t ...

. They were the parents of a daughter, Elizabeth Alice Chapin (1828-1875), the wife of Joseph Clark (1815-1871) of Brattleboro. In 1830, Chapin married Sophia Dwight Orne (1810-1880) of

. They were the parents of Lucinda Orne (Chapin) Wheelwright, Oliver Howard Chapin, Mary Wells (Chapin) Warder, William Orne Chapin, and Charles Jones Chapin.

Legacy

For many years, Chapin was the owner of the home formerly occupied by publisher John Holbrook. The home, now known as the Deacon John Holbrook House, was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1982. Brattleboro's Chapin Street, which was developed in the mid-1880s, is named for Charles Chapin. It is near the Deacon John Holbrook House, covers one block between Oak and Linden Streets, and was constructed on land previously owned by Chapin.

References

Sources

Books

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Internet

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chapin, Charles 1803 births 1878 deaths People from Orange, Massachusetts People from Brattleboro, Vermont Harvard College alumni Physicians from Vermont Democratic Party members of the Vermont House of Representatives United States Marshals Burials in Vermont 19th-century American politicians