Martin Chester Deming (February 15, 1789 – June 21, 1851) was an American businessman,

railroad magnate A business magnate, also known as a tycoon, is a person who has achieved immense wealth through the ownership of multiple lines of enterprise. The term characteristically refers to a powerful entrepreneur or investor who controls, through perso ...

, and politician who 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 ...

from 1830 until 1832, representing the town of Arlington in

Bennington County Bennington County is a county in the U.S. state of Vermont. As of the 2020 census, the population was 37,347. The shire towns (county seats) are jointly Bennington ("The Southshire") and Manchester ("The Northshire"), and the largest municipal ...

. He was a member of the

National Republican Party The National Republican Party, also known as the Anti-Jacksonian Party or simply Republicans, was a political party in the United States that evolved from a conservative-leaning faction of the Democratic-Republican Party that supported John Qu ...

and the Whig Party. In addition to his political career, Deming also held key positions in the regional banking and railroad industries.

Biography

Martin Chester Deming was born on February 25, 1789, in the town of

Arlington, Vermont Arlington is a town in Bennington County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,457 at the 2020 census. History The town of Arlington was chartered July 28, 1761, by New Hampshire Governor Benning Wentworth, as part of the New Hampshire ...

. His parents were Sylvester and Chloe Hard Deming. After graduating from

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 ...

in 1812 with both a bachelor's and a master's degree, he began working as a

merchant A merchant is a person who trades in commodities produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Historically, a merchant is anyone who is involved in business or trade. Merchants have operated for as long as indust ...

and became a partner in the law firm Judson and Deming. During this period, he also held several prominent positions in Arlington: from 1816 until 1823, he was the town's

postmaster A postmaster is the head of an individual post office, responsible for all postal activities in a specific post office. When a postmaster is responsible for an entire mail distribution organization (usually sponsored by a national government), ...

, and he also served as a selectman at some point. In 1828, the

Vermont General Assembly 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 G ...

appointed him one of Arlington's

justices of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

. Deming was elected to represent Arlington in the

in 1830. He was re-elected in 1831, and left office in 1832. While in the legislature, he served on the Ways and Means Committee. A member of the

, Deming was appointed one of three members of the party's

committee at the 1832 state party convention. He later became a member of the Whig Party, attending state and county party conventions in 1835, 1840, and 1850. Deming was also a substitute member of Vermont's delegation to the

1844 Whig National Convention The 1844 Whig National Convention was a presidential nominating convention held on May 1, 1844 at Universalist Church in Baltimore, Maryland. It nominated the Whig Party's candidates for president and vice president in the 1844 election. The ...

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

. From 1836 until 1838, he served as the

judge of probate A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

for the District of

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

. A prominent businessman in the region, Deming held several key positions with local banks. He was a commissioner of the Bank of Bennington and the Battenkill Bank, and was a member of the board of directors of the Bank of Manchester and the Bennington County Mutual Fire Insurance Company. In addition, he owned land across Vermont, and was president of the Stratton Turnpike Company. Deming was also a key figure in the Vermont railroad industry. In 1849, he was the presiding officer of a meeting in which it was decided to connect

Bennington Bennington is a town in Bennington County, Vermont, United States. It is one of two shire towns (county seats) of the county, the other being Manchester. As of the 2020 US Census, the population was 15,333. Bennington is the most populous to ...

and

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 ...

via a railroad running through the Batten Kill valley. The following year, he was named to the first board of directors of the

Western Vermont Railroad Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

; through his position, he convinced the railroad to travel directly through Arlington Village instead of following a route through East Arlington. In 1839, Deming ran as a Whig candidate for 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 ...

. Due to his bank connections, he was heavily criticized by the ''Vermont Gazette'', who accused his campaign of being influenced by the banks. The newspaper also wrote that Deming did not have "one principle or feeling in harmony with

republicanism Republicanism is a political ideology centered on citizenship in a state organized as a republic. Historically, it emphasises the idea of self-rule and ranges from the rule of a representative minority or oligarchy to popular sovereignty. It ...

, a drop of democratic blood never warmed isheart", and that he was an

aristocrat The aristocracy is historically associated with "hereditary" or "ruling" social class. In many states, the aristocracy included the upper class of people (aristocrats) with hereditary rank and titles. In some, such as ancient Greece, ancient Ro ...

"trained in the old federal doctrine". Deming was defeated by the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

ticket. In 1841, Deming ran for the Council of Censors, an irregularly elected body that conducted periodic oversight reviews of the state government. Campaigning in support of President

William Henry Harrison William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773April 4, 1841) was an American military officer and politician who served as the ninth president of the United States. Harrison died just 31 days after his inauguration in 1841, and had the shortest pres ...

's economic reform movement, he was elected, receiving 8,504 votes. While on the council, he was tasked with oversight over the state legislature and taxes and expenditures. In 1850, Deming was a member of the Vermont

Constitutional Convention Constitutional convention may refer to: * Constitutional convention (political custom), an informal and uncodified procedural agreement *Constitutional convention (political meeting), a meeting of delegates to adopt a new constitution or revise an e ...

. Deming died in Arlington on June 21, 1851. His house in the town, the Martin Deming House, was constructed in 1848. Considered by the

Society of Architectural Historians The Society of Architectural Historians (SAH) is an international not-for-profit organization that promotes the study and preservation of the built environment worldwide. Based in Chicago in the United States, the Society's 3,500 members include ...

to be "a remarkable example of

Greek Revival The Greek Revival was an architectural movement which began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe and the United States and Canada, but ...

domestic architecture", the house cost $4,800 to build, "an astronomical amount for the period in rural Vermont"; upon seeing its " ostentatious character", his father allegedly became so outraged that he threatened to burn it down. The house remained in the family until 1925, when it was sold and converted into an inn, now known as the Arlington Inn. The Martin Deming House is a contributing structure to the Arlington Village Historic District. On April 15, 1813, Deming married Pamela Baker, and they had five children. One of his sons, Sylvester Deming, served in the Vermont House of Representatives in 1863 and 1864. Deming was a prominent member of the Episcopal Church in Vermont, and was a delegate to the church's state convention in 1822.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Deming, Martin Chester 1789 births 1851 deaths People from Arlington, Vermont Episcopalians from Vermont Middlebury College alumni Members of the Vermont House of Representatives Vermont National Republicans Vermont Whigs 19th-century American judges Vermont lawyers 19th-century American legislators 19th-century American Episcopalians 19th-century American merchants 19th-century American railroad executives Businesspeople from Vermont