Julius Converse (December 27, 1798August 16, 1885) was the 34th

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 1872 to 1874 and the 17th

lieutenant governor of Vermont The lieutenant governor of Vermont is elected for a two-year term and chosen separately from the governor. The Vermont Lieutenant Governor's main responsibilities include acting as governor when the governor is out of state or incapacitated, presi ...

from 1850 to 1852.

Early life and start of political career

Julius Converse was born in

Stafford, Connecticut Stafford is a town in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States, settled in 1719. The population was 11,472 at the 2020 United States Census. The community consists of the downtown area of Stafford Springs and the more rural villages of Crysta ...

, on December 27, 1798. He was raised in

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 ...

, educated at Vermont's

Randolph Randolph may refer to: Places In the United States * Randolph, Alabama, an unincorporated community * Randolph, Arizona, a populated place * Randolph, California, a village merged into the city of Brea * Randolph, Illinois, an unincorporated commun ...

Academy, studied law, and became an attorney in

Bethel Bethel ( he, בֵּית אֵל, translit=Bēṯ 'Ēl, "House of El" or "House of God",Bleeker and Widegren, 1988, p. 257. also transliterated ''Beth El'', ''Beth-El'', ''Beit El''; el, Βαιθήλ; la, Bethel) was an ancient Israelite sanct ...

in 1826. A Whig, Converse served 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 1833 and 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 ...

from 1836 to 1840. After his state senate term ended, Converse moved to

Woodstock Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held during August 15–18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, United States, southwest of the town of Woodstock, New York, Woodstock. ...

, where he resumed practicing law and served as Windsor County

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 ...

from 1844 to 1847. He returned to the Vermont house in 1847, serving until 1849. From 1850 to 1851 Converse was Vermont's lieutenant governor. He became 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 ...

when the party was founded in the 1850s, and served in the Vermont House for the third time from 1867 to 1868. In 1869 he was an unsuccessful candidate for the nomination for governor, losing to

Peter T. Washburn Peter Thacher Washburn (September 7, 1814 – February 7, 1870) was a Vermont lawyer, politician and soldier. A veteran of the American Civil War, he served as the 31st governor of Vermont as a Republican from 1869 to 1870, and was the first Verm ...

Election as governor

In 1872 Converse was selected as the Republican nominee for governor even though he was over 70 years old, was not an active candidate, and had not campaigned for the position. His nomination was regarded by observers as a way to block the candidacy of railroad magnate

Frederick H. Billings Frederick H. Billings (September 27, 1823 – September 30, 1890) was an American lawyer, financier, and politician. He is best known for his legal work on land claims during the early years of California's statehood and his presidency of the ...

, who had only recently returned to Vermont from

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, and the renomination of incumbent John W. Stewart, which would break 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 ...

. Converse won the general election and served as governor from 1872 to 1874, afterwards living in retirement.

Family

In 1825 Julius Converse was married to Melissa Arnold (born June 1, 1799) of Randolph. The couple had no children, and Mrs. Converse died on December 12, 1872. In 1873 Converse married 31-year-old Jane Martin (born

North Stratford, New Hampshire North Stratford is an unincorporated community in the town of Stratford in Coos County, New Hampshire, United States. It is located in the northwest corner of the town, along the Connecticut River and adjacent to Bloomfield, Vermont. North Strat ...

, March 24, 1842, died

Lowell, Massachusetts Lowell () is a city in Massachusetts, in the United States. Alongside Cambridge, It is one of two traditional seats of Middlesex County. With an estimated population of 115,554 in 2020, it was the fifth most populous city in Massachusetts as of ...

, June 22, 1916). They were the parents of a daughter, Luna Belle Converse (June 13, 1874May 14, 1961).

Death and burial

Governor Converse died on August 16, 1885, while vacationing in

Dixville Notch, New Hampshire Dixville Notch is an unincorporated community in Dixville township, Coos County, New Hampshire, United States. The population of the township, all of whom live in Dixville Notch, was 4 as of the 2020 census. The village is known for being one o ...

.New York Times
Death Notice, Ex-Gov. Converse
August 19, 1885 He was buried in Woodstock's River Street Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Converse, Julius 1798 births 1885 deaths Vermont lawyers People from Stafford, Connecticut People from Bethel, Vermont Governors of Vermont Lieutenant Governors of Vermont Vermont state senators Members of the Vermont House of Representatives Vermont Whigs 19th-century American politicians Vermont Republicans Burials in Vermont Republican Party governors of Vermont 19th-century American lawyers