Martin Flint (January 12, 1782 – February 27, 1855) was a

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 ...

political and military figure 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 ...

and as

Adjutant General An adjutant general is a military chief administrative officer. France In Revolutionary France, the was a senior staff officer, effectively an assistant to a general officer. It was a special position for lieutenant-colonels and colonels in staf ...

of the Vermont Militia.

Early life

Martin Flint was born in

Hampton, Connecticut Hampton is a town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 1,728 at the 2020 census. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which, is land and (1.96%) is water. Histo ...

on January 12, 1782. He was three years old when is family moved to Vermont, and he completed only a limited education before the death of his father required him to take over operation of the family's Randolph farm.

War of 1812

Flint helped to raise and equip a

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

company for the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

Lebbeus Egerton ''Lebbeus'' is a genus of shrimp in the family Thoridae. It includes a species whose name was auctioned in 2009 to raise funds for conservation; Luc Longley Lucien James Longley (born 19 January 1969) is an Australian professional basketbal ...

was the commander, and Flint was second in command with the rank of

First Lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a s ...

. Flint served in the Defense of Plattsburgh during the British invasion.

Later career

In 1816 Flint lost the sight in his right eye as the result of a prolonged illness, but after his recovery he resumed management of his farm. He was originally active in Vermont's Masons, but in the 1830s he made a public renunciation of his Masonic membership and became a leader of the

Anti-Masonic Party The Anti-Masonic Party was the earliest third party in the United States. Formally a single-issue party, it strongly opposed Freemasonry, but later aspired to become a major party by expanding its platform to take positions on other issues. After ...

. From 1831 to 1835 he served as an Anti-Mason in the Vermont House of Representatives, and in 1836 he was a member of the Governor's Council. In 1836 Flint was also an unsuccessful candidate for 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 ...

, losing the 3rd District election to

Horace Everett Horace Everett (July 17, 1779 – January 30, 1851) was an American politician. He served as a United States representative from Vermont. Biography Everett was born in Foxboro, Massachusetts. His father was John Everett; his mother was Melatiah ...

, the Whig and

Alden Partridge Alden Partridge, (February 12, 1785 - January 17, 1854) was an American author, legislator, officer, surveyor, an early superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York and a controversial pioneer in U.S. military educ ...

running as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

. Flint maintained his membership in the militia, and advanced to the rank of

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

. In 1833 he succeeded

Isaac Fletcher Isaac Fletcher may refer to: *Isaac Fletcher (American politician) Isaac Fletcher (November 22, 1784 – October 19, 1842) was an American lawyer and politician. He served as a U.S. Representative from Vermont and as Adjutant General of the Ve ...

as adjutant general. He was succeeded in 1837 by

Frederic Williams Hopkins Frederic Williams Hopkins (September 15, 1806 – January 21, 1874) was a Vermont lawyer and militia officer who served as State adjutant general, Adjutant General of the Vermont Army National Guard, Vermont Militia. Early life Frederic William ...

. In 1839 Flint was elected Sheriff of

Orange County Orange County most commonly refers to: *Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area Orange County may also refer to: U.S. counties *Orange County, Florida, containing Orlando *Orange County, Indiana *Orange County, New ...

, but declined the office. From 1841 to 1844 he served as

Assistant Judge.

Death and burial

Flint continued to operate his farm into the 1850s. In his later years his health declined, and he sometimes suffered from dementia. He died in Randolph on February 27, 1855, and was buried in Randolph Center Cemetery.

Family

Martin Flint was married twice. His first wife was Chloe Burnett (1774-1811). After her death he married Asenath Morse (1784-1874). Asenath Morse was a niece of

Dudley Chase Dudley Chase (December 30, 1771February 23, 1846) was a U.S. Senator from Vermont who served from 1813 to 1817 and again from 1825 to 1831. He was born in Cornish, New Hampshire. Career After graduating from Dartmouth College in 1791, he s ...

and

Philander Chase Philander Chase (December 14, 1775 – September 20, 1852) was an Episcopal Church bishop, educator, and pioneer of the United States western frontier, especially in Ohio and Illinois. Early life and family Born in Cornish, New Hampshire to ...

, and a cousin of

Salmon P. Chase Salmon Portland Chase (January 13, 1808May 7, 1873) was an American politician and jurist who served as the sixth chief justice of the United States. He also served as the 23rd governor of Ohio, represented Ohio in the United States Senate, a ...

. Flint had seven children, three with Chloe and four with Asenath. They included: :Martin M. Flint (1816-1897), a

Norwich University Norwich University – The Military College of Vermont is a private senior military college in Northfield, Vermont. It is the oldest private and senior military college in the United States and offers bachelor's and master's degrees on-campus ...

graduate who was an officer in the 40th and 60th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry regiments during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, and later farmed in

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

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

; Martin Monroe Flint was married to Eliza Chase, a granddaughter of Philander Chase. :John Morse Flint (1822-1895), a teacher and school superintendent who later relocated to

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

and served in the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Representatives are elected for two-year terms, ...

.Edwin Waldo Flint, The Flint Heritage, page 54

References

External resources

Martin Flint
a

{{DEFAULTSORT:Flint, Martin 1782 births 1855 deaths People from Hampton, Connecticut Anti-Masonic Party politicians from Vermont Members of the Vermont House of Representatives People from Randolph, Vermont American militiamen in the War of 1812 American militia officers Vermont state court judges Burials in Vermont 19th-century American judges