Park H. Pollard (June 5, 1869 – December 26, 1956) was an American politician and businessman who served from 1912 to 1942 as chairman of the

Democratic Party of Vermont The Vermont Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Vermont. From the time of the American Civil War until the 1960s, Vermont was an almost exclusively Republican state, with Republicans dominating Vermont ...

, as well as several terms 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 ...

where he represented the town of

Cavendish Cavendish may refer to: People * The House of Cavendish, a British aristocratic family * Margaret Cavendish (1623–1673), British poet, philosopher, and scientist * Cavendish (author) (1831–1899), pen name of Henry Jones, English auth ...

. He was the Democratic nominee for the

U.S. 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 powe ...

1923 Events January–February * January 9 – Lithuania begins the Klaipėda Revolt to annex the Klaipėda Region (Memel Territory). * January 11 – Despite strong British protests, troops from France and Belgium occupy the Ruhr area, t ...

, and for

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 ...

1930 Events January * January 15 – The Moon moves into its nearest point to Earth, called perigee, at the same time as its fullest phase of the Lunar Cycle. This is the closest moon distance at in recent history, and the next one will be ...

and

1942 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Declaration by United Nations is signed by China, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Soviet Union, and 22 other nations, in wh ...

Early life and career

Park Hiram Pollard was born in

Cavendish, Vermont Cavendish is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. The town was likely named after William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire. The population was 1,392 at the 2020 census. The town of Cavendish includes the unincorporated villages of C ...

on June 5, 1869. He attended the schools of

Proctorsville, Vermont Proctorsville is a census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Cavendish, Windsor County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population of the CDP was 454. Geography The center of Proctorsville is located just east of the jun ...

Vermont Academy Vermont Academy (VA) is a private, co-educational, college preparatory, boarding and day school in Saxtons River, Vermont, serving students from ninth through twelfth grade, as well as postgraduates. Founded in 1876, the campus was listed on the ...

and

Black River Academy The Black River Academy is a historic school building on High Street in the village of Ludlow, Vermont. Chartered in 1835, the school served as the town high school until 1938. The present building, a Richardsonian Romanesque structure built in ...

. Pollard apprenticed as a pharmacist and became the co-owner and co-operator of Pollard Brother's Store in Cavendish. In addition to selling medicines, Pollard's offered a “compounding” pharmacy service, which made customized medications for humans and animals. As a general store, it carried a wide variety of products, including food, tobacco, shoes and boots, carpets, rope, petroleum products, and windows and window shades. Active in politics 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 ...

, Pollard served in local offices, including town lister, town selectman, and trustee of the village of Proctorsville. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, he served on the Windsor County draft exemption board and was appointed U.S. Explosives Inspector for Vermont.

Statewide political career

Despite being a Democrat in an era when Republicans won all elections for statewide office, Pollard was appointed by Governor

Allen M. Fletcher Allen Miller Fletcher (September 25, 1853 – May 11, 1922) was an American politician who served as the 54th governor of Vermont from 1912 to 1915. Biography Fletcher was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, on September 25, 1853. The son of ...

to a seat on the Vermont Public Service Commission from 1913 to 1915. Pollard became chairman of the

Vermont Democratic Party The Vermont Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Vermont. From the time of the American Civil War until the 1960s, Vermont was an almost exclusively Republican state, with Republicans dominating Vermont ...

in 1916. He was first elected to the

in 1916, representing the town of

. In April 1917 Pollard was nominated to the Vermont Board of Control by Governor Horace F. Graham, but his nomination was blocked by 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 ...

. This blockage was denounced by some commentators as an act of petty partisanship, but other observers contended that the Senate's decision was motivated by remarks Pollard had made on the House floor. Pollard was not re-elected in 1918, but was elected again in 1920. While in the state house he was noted for his ability to block legislation, due to his strong ties with rural representatives. Pollard's legislative focus was on what he deemed unnecessary spending, and earned a reputation as a fiscal conservative. Pollard was the Democratic nominee in the 1923 special election to fill the U.S. Senate seat that had been vacated by the death of

William P. Dillingham William Paul Dillingham (December 12, 1843July 12, 1923) was an American attorney and politician from the state of Vermont. A United States Republican Party, Republican and the son of Congressman and Governor Paul Dillingham, William P. Dillingha ...

. Due to Vermont's traditionally Republican lean, he was considered to have next to no chance of winning. Pollard attempted to define the race around the issue of

Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic ...

, taking a "wet" stance that advocated for amending the

Volstead Act The National Prohibition Act, known informally as the Volstead Act, was an act of the 66th United States Congress, designed to carry out the intent of the 18th Amendment (ratified January 1919), which established the prohibition of alcoholic d ...

to be less restrictive, and attempting to appeal to supporters of wet Republican John W. Redmond, who had been defeated by "dry" candidate Porter H. Dale in the Republican primary. Pollard was defeated by Dale, 66%-33%. Pollard endorsed

John W. Davis John William Davis (April 13, 1873 – March 24, 1955) was an American politician, diplomat and lawyer. He served under President Woodrow Wilson as the Solicitor General of the United States and the United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom ...

for President in 1924. He was nominated by both the Democratic and Republican parties for re-election as state representative that year, but declined the nominations for unspecified personal reasons. Pollard was the Democratic nominee for Governor in

, once again running as a wet. During the campaign, he favored the total repeal of the Eighteenth Amendment and the Volstead Act. He lost heavily to Lieutenant Governor Stanley C. Wilson. Pollard was again the Democratic nominee for Governor in 1942, losing to incumbent Governor William H. Wills, and stepped down as party chair that same year.

Death

Pollard died in a

Waterbury Waterbury is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut on the Naugatuck River, southwest of Hartford and northeast of New York City. Waterbury is the second-largest city in New Haven County, Connecticut. According to the 2020 US Census, in 202 ...

nursing home on December 26, 1955. He received

Masonic Freemasonry or Masonry refers to Fraternity, fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of Stonemasonry, stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their inte ...

funeral honors, and was buried at Hillcrest Cemetery in Proctorsville.

Personal life

Pollard was the son of Don Carlos Pollard and Sarah (Moor) Pollard. He was a first cousin of

Calvin Coolidge Calvin Coolidge (born John Calvin Coolidge Jr.; ; July 4, 1872January 5, 1933) was the 30th president of the United States from 1923 to 1929. Born in Vermont, Coolidge was a History of the Republican Party (United States), Republican lawyer ...

; Pollard's mother was the sister of Coolidge's mother Victoria Jospephine Moor. Pollard married Edith Mary Johnson in 1894; they were the parents of a daughter, Minnie. Edith Pollard died in 1923, and in 1931 Pollard married Julia Rose (McNulty) Rollinson.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pollard, Park 1869 births 1956 deaths Coolidge family People from Cavendish, Vermont Vermont Academy alumni Businesspeople from Vermont American pharmacists Democratic Party members of the Vermont House of Representatives Burials in Vermont