Daniel Peaslee (February 28, 1773 – December 3, 1827) was an American businessman, politician and judge. An early settler of

Washington, Vermont Washington is a town in Orange County, Vermont, in the United States. The population was 1,032 at the 2020 census. The town is believed to be named after George Washington, although the town may also be named after Washington, Connecticut, as the ...

, he served as chief judge of the

Orange County Orange County most commonly refers to: *Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area Orange County may also refer to: U.S. counties *Orange County, Florida, containing Orlando *Orange County, Indiana *Orange County, New ...

Court despite not having been trained as a lawyer. Peaslee also served as a member of Vermont's Governor's Council, Orange County Sheriff and Washington's 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 ...

Early life

Daniel Peaslee was born in

Plaistow, New Hampshire Plaistow (, ) is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 7,830 at the 2020 census. History Plaistow was officially established as a town in 1749 after the 1739 resolution ...

on February 28, 1773, one of several children born to Reuben Peaslee and Judith (Noyes) Peaslee. He was raised and educated in New Hampshire, and moved to Washington, Vermont in 1795. He became a successful merchant and tavern keeper, and was active in the town's Methodist society.

Career

Besides keeping a tavern and store, Peaslee was active in politics and government. A member of the

Democratic-Republican Party The Democratic-Republican Party, known at the time as the Republican Party and also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party among other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early ...

, he represented Washington in the

from 1802 to 1807, 1813 to 1816, and in 1826. Peaslee served as

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 Orange County from 1807 to 1812. From 1812 to 1816 he served as chief judge of the Orange County Court. In 1814, Peaslee was a delegate to the Vermont constitutional convention. From 1816 to 1819, Peaslee was a member of the Vermont Governor's Council.

Death and burial

Peaslee died in Washington on December 3, 1827. He was buried in Washington's North Cemetery (now called Maple Hill).

Family

In 1795, Peaslee married Elizabeth Hall, with whom he had two children. In 1822, daughter Judith (1796-1865) married Stephen Burton (1796-1886). Son James Peaslee (1799-1822) attended the

University of Vermont The University of Vermont (UVM), officially the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont. It was founded in 1791 and is amon ...

and died at age 22. Following his first wife's death, in 1822, Peaslee married Lucy Pepper (1805-1833), who at age 17 was 32 years younger than him. They were the parents of three children: Lucy (1824-1900), the wife of Benjamin Franklin Dickinson (1819-1887), who served as deputy sheriff and sheriff of Orange County; Daniel (1827-1854), who attended

Norwich University Norwich University – The Military College of Vermont is a private senior military college in Northfield, Vermont. It is the oldest private and senior military college in the United States and offers bachelor's and master's degrees on-campus ...

, married Lucia Tappan (1826-1906) of Newbury, Vermont, and served as Newbury's postmaster; and Laura (1825-1885), the wife of Reverend Alonzo Webster (1818-1887). In 1829, Lucy Pepper Peaslee married George W. West of Washington.

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* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Peaslee, Daniel 1773 births 1827 deaths People from Plaistow, New Hampshire People from Washington, Vermont Vermont Democratic-Republicans Vermont sheriffs Vermont state court judges Members of the Vermont House of Representatives Burials in Vermont 19th-century American politicians