Martin S. Vilas (March 1, 1870 – November 19, 1953) 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 ...

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

, politician and author who served as

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

of 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 ...

Biography

Martin Samuel Vilas was born in Colchester, Vermont on March 1, 1870. He graduated from the

University of Vermont The University of Vermont (UVM), officially the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont. It was founded in 1791 and is amon ...

in 1894, studied at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

, and received a Master of Arts degree from the University of Vermont in 1899. Vilas taught school and served as a school principal while studying law, and attained admission to the bar in 1902. He practiced in

Burlington Burlington may refer to: Places Canada Geography * Burlington, Newfoundland and Labrador * Burlington, Nova Scotia * Burlington, Ontario, the most populous city with the name "Burlington" * Burlington, Prince Edward Island * Burlington Bay, no ...

until 1912, when he relocated to the west coast, living first in California, and later in

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

. He returned to Vermont in 1915. A Republican, Vilas served in several local offices, including Burlington City Attorney and Chairman of the Burlington Republican Party. In 1916 Vilas was elected to the Vermont Senate. He served two terms, 1917 to 1921, and was Senate President from 1919 to 1921. Vilas was 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 ...

(1926, 1930);

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

(1932); and the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

(1938).

Career as author

He wrote magazine articles and short stories on historical topics, many of which were printed in pamphlet or book form. His published works include
''Charles Brockden Brown: A Study of Early American Fiction''
(1904)
''The Reorganization of the Republican Party''
(1915)
''The Barbary Coast of San Francisco''
(1915)
''Municipal Railway of San Francisco''
(1915); and ''The Veterans of the National Soldiers' Home'', (1915).

Relatives

Vilas was the nephew of

Levi Baker Vilas Levi Baker Vilas (February 25, 1811February 6, 1879) was an American lawyer and politician. He was the 4th Mayor of Madison, Wisconsin, and served three non-consecutive years in the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing Dane County. Before movin ...

and cousin of

William Freeman Vilas William Freeman Vilas (July 9, 1840August 27, 1908) was an American lawyer, politician, and United States Senator. In the U.S. Senate, he represented the state of Wisconsin for one term, from 1891 to 1897. As a prominent Bourbon Democrat, he wa ...

Death

Martin S. Vilas died in Burlington on November 19, 1953.Vermont Death Records, 1909–2008, entry for Martin S. Vilas, accessed July 3, 2012

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Vilas, Martin S. 1870 births 1953 deaths Politicians from Burlington, Vermont Republican Party Vermont state senators Presidents pro tempore of the Vermont Senate University of Vermont alumni Vermont lawyers