John Prout (November 21, 1815 – August 28, 1890) was a Vermont attorney, politician, and judge who served as 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 1867 to 1869.

Biography

John Prout 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 bee ...

on November 21, 1815, the son of John C. Prout (1795–1877) and Phebe (or Phoebe) Holman (1793–1836). He was educated in Salisbury, and then apprenticed as a printer. After working in the printing business for several years, Prout studied law with Ebenezer N. Briggs. He attained

admission to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1837, and began to practice in partnership with Briggs. originally a member of the Whig Party, Prout represented Salisbury in 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 1847 and 1848. From 1848 to 1851 Prout 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 ...

Addison County Addison County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Vermont. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 37,363. Its shire town (county seat) is the town of Middlebury (town), Vermont, Middle ...

. In 1854, Prout moved to the village of

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 ...

in Rutland Town, where he continued to practice law. He had different partners at different times, and among them were

Walter C. Dunton Walter C. Dunton (November 29, 1830 – April 23, 1890) was a Vermont attorney, businessman, politician, and judge. In addition to serving in the Vermont State Senate, Dunton was a justice of the Vermont Supreme Court from 1877 to 1879. Early ...

Charles Linsley Charles Linsley (August 29, 1795 – November 3, 1863) was a Vermont lawyer and politician. The son-in-law of Daniel Chipman, he was notable for his service as United States Attorney for the District of Vermont (1845-1849), member of the Vermon ...

and Aldace F. Walker. By now 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 represented Rutland in the Vermont House in 1865 and 1866, and

Rutland County Rutland County is a county located in the U.S. state of Vermont. As of the 2020 census, the population was 60,572, making it the second-most populous county in Vermont. Its county seat and most populous municipality is the city of Rutland. H ...

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 ...

in 1867. In 1867, Prout succeeded Loyal C. Kellogg as an associate justice of the

, and he served until 1869, when he was replaced by Hoyt H. Wheeler. After leaving the court, Prout continued to practice law until he retired in 1886.

Death and burial

Prout died in Rutland on August 28, 1890. He was buried at Evergreen Cemetery in Rutland.

Family

In 1840, Prout married Louisa M. Cook (1823–1848). After his second wife's death, in 1849 Prout married Sarah P. Smith, who died in 1877. His third wife, whom he married in 1878, was Ellen Sophia Ellsworth (1824–1897), the widow of George Washington Strong (1818–1858), and a descendant of

Oliver Ellsworth Oliver Ellsworth (April 29, 1745 – November 26, 1807) was a Founding Father of the United States, attorney, jurist, politician, and diplomat. Ellsworth was a framer of the United States Constitution, United States senator from Connecticut ...

. Prout was the father of three children. With his first wife, he had a son Edward J. (1847–1888), and a daughter Cornelia Seward (called Emelia) (1847–1920). With his second wife, he had a daughter, Mary S. (1859–1934). In 1883, Cornelia Prout married Samuel Howard Field (1842–1892). In 1890, Mary married Charles H. West, who worked in the banking industry in Rutland, and later served as Rutland's postmaster.

References

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Prout, John 1815 births 1890 deaths People from Salisbury, Vermont People from Rutland (city), Vermont Vermont lawyers Vermont Whigs Vermont Republicans U.S. state supreme court judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law State's attorneys in Vermont Members of the Vermont House of Representatives Vermont state senators Justices of the Vermont Supreme Court Burials at Evergreen Cemetery (Rutland, Vermont) 19th-century American judges 19th-century American lawyers