John Eliakim Weeks (June 14, 1853 – September 10, 1949) was an American politician from
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 south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...
. He served as the
61st 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 ...
from 1927 to 1931.
Early life
Weeks was born in
Salisbury, Vermont
Salisbury is a town in Addison County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,221 at the 2020 census.
History
Salisbury was chartered on November 3, 1761 as one of the New Hampshire Grants issued by Benning Wentworth. The town may have be ...
, on June 14, 1853, the son of Ebenezer Weeks and Elizabeth (Dyer) Weeks. He attended the county schools and
Middlebury High School. He married Hattie J. Dyer of Salisbury in 1879. She died in 1942, and they had no children.
Career
![John Eliakim Weeks (Vermont Governor)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0d/John_Eliakim_Weeks_%28Vermont_Governor%29.jpg)
Weeks operated a farm and operated several other businesses, including growing and selling hay, raising and selling livestock, selling insurance, and appraising and settling estates. He became president of the
Addison County
Addison County is a county located in the U.S. state of Vermont. As of the 2020 census, the population was 37,363. Its shire town (county seat) is the town of Middlebury.
History
Iroquois settled in the county before Europeans arrived in 160 ...
Trust Company and the Columbus Smith Trust Company, and served on the board of directors for both the
Brandon
Brandon may refer to:
Names and people
*Brandon (given name), a male given name
*Brandon (surname), a surname with several different origins
Places
Australia
*Brandon, a farm and 19th century homestead in Seaham, New South Wales
*Brandon, Q ...
National Bank and the National Bank of Middlebury.
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 ...
, Weeks served as
Addison County
Addison County is a county located in the U.S. state of Vermont. As of the 2020 census, the population was 37,363. Its shire town (county seat) is the town of Middlebury.
History
Iroquois settled in the county before Europeans arrived in 160 ...
Assistant Judge from 1884 to 1886. 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 ...
in 1888. He moved to
Middlebury, Vermont
Middlebury is the shire town (county seat) of Addison County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the population was 9,152. Middlebury is home to Middlebury College and the Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History.
History
One of ...
in 1896 and that year was also elected to the
Vermont State 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 1896 he was also elected trustee of the state industrial school (later named the Weeks School). He served as Assistant Judge again from 1902 to 1904. He returned to the Vermont House in 1912, and was
Speaker
Speaker may refer to:
Society and politics
* Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly
* Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture
* A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially:
** I ...
from 1915 to 1917. Weeks became Director of State Institutions in 1917 and served until 1923. Weeks was Vermont's Commissioner of Public Welfare from 1923 to 1926.
Weeks was
elected Elected may refer to:
* "Elected" (song), by Alice Cooper, 1973
* ''Elected'' (EP), by Ayreon, 2008
*The Elected, an American indie rock band
See also
*Election
An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population ...
Governor in 1926. In 1928 he became the first Vermont Governor elected to a second two-year term, arguing that he should be given an exemption from the Republican Party's
Mountain Rule
The governor of Vermont is the U.S. state's head of government. Since 1994, Vermont is one of only two U.S. states (New Hampshire being the other) that elects governors for two-year terms. Until 1870, Vermont elected its governors for one-year ter ...
in order to oversee efforts to recover from the great flood of 1927. Weeks served from January 6, 1927 to January 8, 1931. In addition to flood recovery efforts, the Weeks administration was marked by an average of forty-nine miles of road annually being paved on a pay-as-you-go basis.
In 1930, Weeks was elected to 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 ...
from
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 south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...
's 1st District. This district was scheduled to be eliminated due to redistricting, and incumbent Republican
Elbert S. Brigham was not running for reelection. Weeks argued that serving one term and then retiring would be a fitting capstone to his career, and would ensure that two incumbent Republicans did not have to run against each other in a 1932 primary for Vermont's sole U.S. House seat. Weeks won the seat and served one term, 1931 to 1933. After serving in Congress, Weeks returned to his Middlebury business interests.
Death
Weeks died in
Middlebury on September 10, 1949. At 96 years and 88 days, he remains the longest lived of all Vermont governors.
He is interred at West Salisbury Cemetery,
Salisbury, Vermont
Salisbury is a town in Addison County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,221 at the 2020 census.
History
Salisbury was chartered on November 3, 1761 as one of the New Hampshire Grants issued by Benning Wentworth. The town may have be ...
.
References
External links
The Political GraveyardEncyclopedia, Vermont Biography*
Govtrack US Congress
{{DEFAULTSORT:Weeks, John E.
1853 births
1949 deaths
People from Salisbury, Vermont
Vermont state court judges
Republican Party members of the Vermont House of Representatives
Speakers of the Vermont House of Representatives
Republican Party Vermont state senators
Republican Party governors of Vermont
Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Vermont
People from Middlebury, Vermont