Frank C. Partridge (May 7, 1861March 2, 1943) was an American attorney, diplomat, and business executive from Vermont. A

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 ...

, he served briefly in 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 ...

, appointed to fill the vacancy left by the death of

Frank L. Greene Frank Lester Greene (February 10, 1870December 17, 1930) was a Vermont newspaper editor and militia officer. He is most notable for his service as a United States Representative and United States Senate, Senator. A native of St. Albans (town), ...

. A native of

East Middlebury, Vermont East Middlebury is a census-designated place in the town of Middlebury, Addison County, 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 sout ...

, Partridge was educated in Middlebury, attended

Middlebury College Middlebury College is a private liberal arts college in Middlebury, Vermont. Founded in 1800 by Congregationalists, Middlebury was the first operating college or university in Vermont. The college currently enrolls 2,858 undergraduates from all ...

, and graduated from

Amherst College Amherst College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zephaniah Swift Moore, Amherst is the third oldest institution of higher educatio ...

(1882) and

Columbia Law School Columbia Law School (Columbia Law or CLS) is the law school of Columbia University, a private Ivy League university in New York City. Columbia Law is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious law schools in the world and has always ranked i ...

(1884). Proctor practiced law 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 ...

before becoming active in the

Vermont Marble Company The Vermont Marble Museum or Vermont Marble Exhibit is a museum commemorating the contributions of Vermont marble and the Vermont Marble Company, located in Proctor, Vermont, United States. The museum is located in a wing of one of the former Verm ...

and associated politically with the company's owners, the

Redfield Proctor Redfield Proctor (June 1, 1831March 4, 1908) was a U.S. politician of the Republican Party. He served as the 37th governor of Vermont from 1878 to 1880, as Secretary of War from 1889 to 1891, and as a United States Senator for Vermont from 18 ...

family. Partridge advanced up Vermont Marble's ranks beginning in the mid-1880s, and served successively as treasurer, vice president, president, and chairman of the board. In addition, he was affiliated with other Proctor businesses, including the Proctor Trust Company and the Clarendon and Pittsford Railroad. Partridge held local offices in Proctor, including town clerk and school board member. When Redfield Proctor served as

Secretary of War The secretary of war was a member of the U.S. president's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War", had been appointed to serve the Congress of the ...

from 1889 to 1890, Partridge served as his private secretary. Partridge's connection to a powerful cabinet member who later served in the U.S. Senate led to several appointments, including

Solicitor A solicitor is a legal practitioner who traditionally deals with most of the legal matters in some jurisdictions. A person must have legally-defined qualifications, which vary from one jurisdiction to another, to be described as a solicitor and ...

of the

Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other nati ...

from 1890 to 1893,

United States Ambassador to Venezuela The following is a list of United States ambassadors, or other chiefs of mission, to Venezuela. The title given by the United States State Department to this position is currently ''Ambassador Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary.'' The a ...

from 1893 to 1894, and U.S. Consul in

Tangier Tangier ( ; ; ar, طنجة, Ṭanja) is a city in northwestern Morocco. It is on the Moroccan coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar, where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel. The town is the cap ...

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...

from 1897 to 1898. From 1898 to 1900, Partridge served in 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 ...

. As a prominent business leader and former diplomat, Partridge developed "senior statesman" status that led to service on various boards and commissions, in the 1910s and 1920s, including the state public safety committee that managed Vermont's participation in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and the public corporation that aided in Vermont's recovery following the Great Flood of 1927. In December 1930, Governor

John E. Weeks John Eliakim Weeks (June 14, 1853 – September 10, 1949) was an American politician from Vermont. He served as the 61st governor of Vermont from 1927 to 1931. Early life Weeks was born in Salisbury, Vermont, on June 14, 1853, the son of Ebenez ...

appointed Partridge to the U.S. Senate to fill the vacancy created by the death of Frank Greene. Partridge lost the Republican nomination to

Warren Austin Warren Robinson Austin (November 12, 1877 – December 25, 1962) was an American politician and diplomat who served as United States Senator from Vermont and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. A native of Highgate Center, Vermont, Austin was ...

in the March 1931 primary, and in overwhelmingly Republican Vermont, Austin easily defeated Democrat Stephen M. Driscoll in the general election. Partridge retired in 1935, and resided in Proctor. He died there on March 2, 1943, and was interred at South Street Cemetery in Proctor.

Early life and start of career

Frank Charles Partridge was born in

on May 7, 1861, the son of Charles Frank Partridge and Sarah Ann (Rice) Partridge.Edmund Rice (1638) Association, 2009. Descendants of Edmund Rice: The First Nine Generations. He graduated from Middlebury High School in 1878, and as a teenager worked as a messenger for

during Proctor's term as

Governor of Vermont The governor of Vermont is the head of government of Vermont. The officeholder is elected in even-numbered years by direct voting for a term of 2 years. Vermont and bordering New Hampshire are the only states to hold gubernatorial elections every ...

. He attended

, graduated from

in 1882 (with classmate

Fletcher Dutton Proctor Fletcher Dutton Proctor (November 7, 1860 – September 27, 1911) was an American businessman, a Republican politician, and the 51st governor of Vermont, who served from 1906 to 1908. Personal life Proctor was born in Cavendish, Vermont, o ...

), and received his law degree from

in 1884. Partridge worked as a

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

and then began a career with the

Proctor, Vermont Proctor is a town in Rutland County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,763 at the 2020 census. Proctor is home to the Vermont Marble Museum and Wilson Castle. History In the early 19th century, small high-quality marble deposits w ...

. Vermont Marble was owned by

, and Partridge's decision to join Vermont Marble continued his lifelong association with the Proctor family. He served as Vermont Marble's treasurer (1886); vice president (1891); and president (1912) and chairman of the board of directors. He was also president of the Proctor Trust Company and the Clarendon and Pittsford Railroad, as well as a member of

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 ...

's board of directors. Partridge was a trustee of Middlebury College, and received an honorary

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 ...

degree from Middlebury in 1909.

Political career

, he held several positions in local, state and national government, including: Proctor

Town Clerk A clerk is a senior official of many municipal governments in the English-speaking world. In some communities, including most in the United States, the position is elected, but in many others, the clerk is appointed to their post. In the UK, a To ...

(1887–1889);

school board A board of education, school committee or school board is the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or an equivalent institution. The elected council determines the educational policy in a small regional are ...

member (1888–1889); Private Secretary to

Redfield Proctor (1889–1890);

of the

(1890–1893);

(1893–1894); U.S. Consul in

(1897–1898);

Vermont State Senator 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 Ge ...

(1898–1900); Member of Vermont's

Committee of Public Safety (1917–1919); member of the American Society of International Law's executive council (1906-1923); chairman of the commission to propose amendments to the

Constitution of Vermont The Constitution of the State of Vermont is the fundamental body of law of the U.S. state of Vermont, describing and framing its government. It was adopted in 1793 following Vermont's admission to the Union in 1791 and is largely based upon the ...

(1909); delegate to the Fifth

Pan-American Conference The Conferences of American States, commonly referred to as the Pan-American Conferences, were meetings of the Pan-American Union, an international organization for cooperation on trade. James G. Blaine, a United States politician, Secretary ...

Santiago, Chile Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital (political), capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated Regions of Chile, region, t ...

(1923); member of the New England Council (1925-1927); and president of the Vermont Flood Credit Corporation (following the

Flood A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrol ...

of 1927).

United States Senator

In December, 1930 Partridge was appointed by

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 ...

to fill the Senate vacancy caused by the death of

. Partridge ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination in the special election to finish Greene's term, losing to

Warren R. Austin Warren Robinson Austin (November 12, 1877 – December 25, 1962) was an American politician and diplomat who served as United States Senator from Vermont and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. A native of Highgate Center, Vermont, Austin wa ...

, who won the general election and succeeded Partridge. Partridge served in the Senate from December 23, 1930, to March 31, 1931, and during his brief term he was chairman of the Senate's Committee on Enrolled Bills.

Retirement and death

Partridge retired from Vermont Marble in 1935, and died in Proctor on March 2, 1943. He was interred at South Street Cemetery in Proctor.

Family

In 1907, Partridge married Sarah L. Sanborn of Illinois. They were the parents of five children—Frances Partridge Coulter (1909–2007), Charles F. (1911–2001), Sanborn (1915-2013), Ruth (1917-2022), and David (b. 1925).

Rice family and relations

Partridge was a descendant of

Edmund Rice Edmund is a masculine given name or surname in the English language. The name is derived from the Old English elements ''ēad'', meaning "prosperity" or "riches", and ''mund'', meaning "protector". Persons named Edmund include: People Kings an ...

, an English immigrant to

Massachusetts Bay Colony The Massachusetts Bay Colony (1630–1691), more formally the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, was an English settlement on the east coast of North America around the Massachusetts Bay, the northernmost of the several colonies later reorganized as the ...

, as follows: * Frank Charles Partridge, son of ** Sarah Ann Rice (1835 – 1919), daughter of :** Luther Rice (1799 – 1876), son of :** Eliakim Rice (1756 – 1834), son of :** Zebulon Rice (1725 – 1799), son of **** Elisha Rice (1679 – 1761), son of **** Thomas Rice (1626 – 1681), son of :****

(1594 – 1663)

References

External resources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Partridge, Frank C. 1861 births 1943 deaths Ambassadors of the United States to Venezuela Republican Party Vermont state senators Amherst College alumni Columbia Law School alumni Republican Party United States senators from Vermont People from Middlebury, Vermont People from Proctor, Vermont Burials in Vermont Middlebury College alumni