Isaac Tichenor (February 8, 1754December 11, 1838) was an American lawyer and politician. He served as the
third and fifth 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 ...
and
United States Senator
The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...
from Vermont.
Biography
Tichenor was born in
Newark
Newark most commonly refers to:
* Newark, New Jersey, city in the United States
* Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey; a major air hub in the New York metropolitan area
Newark may also refer to:
Places Canada
* Niagara-on-the ...
in the
Province of New Jersey
The Province of New Jersey was one of the Middle Colonies of Colonial America and became the U.S. state of New Jersey in 1783. The province had originally been settled by Europeans as part of New Netherland but came under English rule after the ...
, the son of Susanna (Guerin) and Daniel Tichenor. He graduated from
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...
in 1775
and moved for a short while to
Schenectady, New York
Schenectady () is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-largest city by population. The city is in eastern New Y ...
where he studied law. He was a descendant of Martin Tichenor (1625–1681), an early colonist and original settler of Newark, New Jersey.
Career
In 1777, Tichenor moved to
Bennington, Vermont
Bennington is a New England town, town in Bennington County, Vermont, Bennington County, Vermont, United States. It is one of two shire towns (county seats) of the county, the other being Manchester (town), Vermont, Manchester. As of the 2020 ...
and served as an Assistant Commissary General during the
American Revolution
The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...
. He was elected captain and commander of a Bennington militia company, which was activated for service several times in Vermont and upstate New York. He was also appointed a justice of the peace.
He was 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 ...
from 1781 to 1784 and served as
Speaker of the House
The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England.
Usage
The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hungerf ...
in 1783. He was an agent from the
Vermont Republic
The Vermont Republic ( French: ''République du Vermont''), officially known at the time as the State of Vermont ( French: ''État du Vermont''), was an independent state in New England that existed from January 15, 1777, to March 4, 1791. The ...
to the
Continental Congress
The Continental Congress was a series of legislative bodies, with some executive function, for thirteen of Britain's colonies in North America, and the newly declared United States just before, during, and after the American Revolutionary War. ...
, and presented Vermont's request for admission to the
Union
Union commonly refers to:
* Trade union, an organization of workers
* Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets
Union may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Music
* Union (band), an American rock group
** ''Un ...
from 1782 to 1789.
[
After Vermont's admission to the Union in 1791, Tichenor ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the ]United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...
against Matthew Lyon
Matthew Lyon (July 14, 1749 – August 1, 1822) was an Irish-born American printer, farmer, soldier and politician, who served as a United States representative from both Vermont and Kentucky.
Lyon represented Vermont in Congress from 1797 to ...
and Israel Smith
Israel Smith (April 4, 1759 – December 2, 1810) was an American lawyer and politician. He held a wide variety of positions in the state of Vermont, including as a member of the United States House of Representatives, a member of the United ...
, receiving 29% of the vote in the first round. He was an associate justice of 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 ...
from 1791 to 1794, and Chief Justice in 1795 and 1796.
Tichenor was also active in the Vermont militia, and attained the rank of major general
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
as commander of its 2nd Division.
In 1796 he was elected to fill the unexpired term of Moses Robinson
Moses Robinson (March 22, 1741 – May 26, 1813) was a prominent Vermont political figure. When Vermont was an independent republic, he was its first chief justice and served a one-year term as governor. As governor he superintended the negoti ...
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 ...
beginning on October 18, 1796. He was re-elected to a full six-year term to begin on March 4, 1797, but he resigned
Resignation is the formal act of leaving or quitting one's office or position. A resignation can occur when a person holding a position gained by election or appointment steps down, but leaving a position upon the expiration of a term, or choos ...
on October 17, 1797, when he was elected Governor of Vermont.
Tichenor was a member of the Federalist Party
The Federalist Party was a Conservatism in the United States, conservative political party which was the first political party in the United States. As such, under Alexander Hamilton, it dominated the national government from 1789 to 1801.
De ...
; when that party dominated the federal government in the 1790s many leading politicians in Vermont joined 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 ...
and opposed a strong federal government at the national level. Despite dominating the Governor's office for a decade, Tichenor's elections reflected the decline of the Federalist Party as a whole, as he won by increasingly narrow margins. After his last consecutive victory in 1806, he lost in 1807, won narrowly won 1808, and lost in 1809, 1810, and 1817 by increasing margins.
In 1815, Tichenor returned to 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 ...
, where he served until 1821. By the end of his term the Federalist Party had ceased to exist.
Death
After completing his Senate term, Tichenor lived in retirement in Bennington. He died in Bennington on December 11, 1838, and was interred at Bennington Village Cemetery.[ He was the last surviving Governor to have served in the 18th century.
]
References
Further reading
*Crockett, Walter H., "Isaac Tichenor", Vermonters: A Book of Biographies, Brattleboro: Stephen Daye Press, 1931, pp. 220–223.
External links
govtrack.us
*
Vermont History and Genealogy: Men of Vermont – Isaac Tichenor
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tichenor, Isaac
1754 births
1838 deaths
Princeton University alumni
People of Vermont in the American Revolution
American militia generals
Vermont lawyers
Governors of Vermont
United States senators from Vermont
People from Bennington, Vermont
Vermont Federalists
Federalist Party United States senators
Members of the Vermont House of Representatives
Speakers of the Vermont House of Representatives
People of pre-statehood Vermont
Justices of the Vermont Supreme Court
Burials in Vermont
Federalist Party state governors of the United States
19th-century American lawyers