Clarke Cushing Fitts (October 17, 1870 – December 20, 1916) was a Vermont attorney and businessman who served as the state's first

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

following the reestablishment of the office in 1904.

Early life

Clarke Cushing Fitts was born in

Wardsboro, Vermont Wardsboro is a town in Windham County, Vermont, United States. The population was 869 at the 2020 census. The town includes the villages of Wardsboro, Wardsboro Center, West Wardsboro and South Wardsboro. History The town was settled circa 17 ...

on October 17, 1870. He attended Leland and Gray Seminary and graduated from Brattleboro High School in 1886. He studied law at the

Brattleboro Brattleboro (), originally Brattleborough, is a town in Windham County, Vermont, United States. The most populous municipality abutting Vermont's eastern border with New Hampshire, which is the Connecticut River, Brattleboro is located about nor ...

firm of Waterman,

Martin Martin may refer to: Places * Martin City (disambiguation) * Martin County (disambiguation) * Martin Township (disambiguation) Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Austral ...

and Hitt, and was admitted to the bar in 1891, a few days after his twenty-first birthday.

Career

A Republican, Fitts served as

State's Attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a loc ...

of Windham County from 1894 to 1896. In 1901 he was offered appointment to a federal judgeship in

Nome, Alaska Nome (; ik, Sitŋasuaq, ) is a city in the Nome Census Area in the Unorganized Borough of Alaska, United States. The city is located on the southern Seward Peninsula coast on Norton Sound of the Bering Sea. It had a population of 3,699 recorded ...

, but he declined. In the early 1900s Fitts served on the Vermont Library Commission, including service as the commission's Chairman. In 1904 the

Vermont General Assembly The Vermont General Assembly is the legislative body of the state of Vermont, in the United States. The Legislature is formally known as the "General Assembly," but the style of "Legislature" is commonly used, including by the body itself. The G ...

passed a bill to reestablish the office of Attorney General, which had been abolished in 1797. Fitts, then a 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 ...

and chairman of its Judiciary Committee, won the legislative election to the office. He was reelected by popular vote in 1906, and served From October, 1904 to October, 1908. Fitts was President of the Vermont Bar Association in 1912 and 1913, and also served as a Vice President of the

American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. Founded in 1878, the ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of acad ...

. In addition to his legal practice, Fitts was involved in several businesses, and was a director of the

National Life Insurance Company National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

, Connecticut River Power Company, People's National Bank, Brattleboro Savings Bank,

New England Power Company National Grid plc is a British multinational electricity and gas utility company headquartered in London, England. Its principal activities are in the United Kingdom, where it owns and operates electricity and natural gas transmission networks ...

, and Hooker, Corser and Mitchell, a manufacturer of heavy duty work clothing and children's play clothes.

Death and burial

Fitts died at the home of relatives in

Watertown, Massachusetts Watertown is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, and is part of Greater Boston. The population was 35,329 in the 2020 census. Its neighborhoods include Bemis, Coolidge Square, East Watertown, Watertown Square, and the West End. Watertown ...

on December 20, 1916, following an illness and unsuccessful surgery. He was entombed in a mausoleum at Brattleboro's Morningside Cemetery.

Family

Fitts was married twice. In 1893 he married Harriet Lyon of Londonderry, Vermont (1868-1897). In 1903 he married Maud Emerson (1870-1940) of Brattleboro. With his first wife, Fitts had two sons, Robert and Stanley. His children with his second wife included son Osmer and daughter Miriam.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fitts, Clarke C. 1870 births 1916 deaths People from Wardsboro, Vermont Vermont attorneys general Republican Party members of the Vermont House of Representatives Politicians from Brattleboro, Vermont Vermont lawyers State's attorneys in Vermont Burials in Vermont 19th-century American legislators American lawyers admitted to the practice of law by reading law 19th-century American lawyers