Paul Spooner (March 20, 1746 – September 4, 1789) 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 figure who served as lieutenant governor.

Early life

Paul Spooner was born in

Dartmouth, Massachusetts Dartmouth (Massachusett: ) is a coastal town in Bristol County, Massachusetts. Old Dartmouth was the first area of Southeastern Massachusetts to be settled by Europeans, primarily English. Dartmouth is part of New England's farm coast, which co ...

on March 20, 1746. He was the youngest of the 10 children of Elizabeth (Ruggles) and Daniel Spooner. He was raised in

Petersham, Massachusetts Petersham is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,194 at the 2020 census. Petersham is home to a considerable amount of conservation land, including the Quabbin Reservation, Harvard Forest, the Swift R ...

, studied medicine, and moved to

Hartland, Vermont Hartland is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. The population was 3,446 at the 2020 census. It includes the villages of Hartland, Hartland Four Corners, and North Hartland. History Hartland, originally named Hertford, was cha ...

to begin a medical practice in 1768.

Career

In 1775, Spooner was a delegate to the

New York Provincial Congress The New York Provincial Congress (1775–1777) was a revolutionary provisional government formed by colonists in 1775, during the American Revolution, as a pro-American alternative to the more conservative New York General Assembly, and as a repla ...

. (At the time jurisdiction over Vermont was the subject of a dispute between

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

and New York. Spooner served as a member of Vermont's Revolutionary War Council of Safety from 1778 to 1782. In 1779 he was elected Hartland's

Town Clerk A clerk is a senior official of many municipal governments in the English-speaking world. In some communities, including most in the United States, the position is elected, but in many others, the clerk is appointed to their post. In the UK, a To ...

, and he also served as Hartland's Town Meeting Moderator. From 1779 to 1789 Spooner served as a justice of the

Vermont Supreme Court The Vermont Supreme Court is the highest judicial authority of the U.S. state of Vermont. Unlike most other states, the Vermont Supreme Court hears appeals directly from the trial courts, as Vermont has no intermediate appeals court. The Court ...

. In 1780 and 1781 Spooner was Windsor County's

Probate Judge A probate court (sometimes called a surrogate court) is a court that has competence in a jurisdiction to deal with matters of probate and the administration of estates. In some jurisdictions, such courts may be referred to as Orphans' Courts o ...

, and from 1780 to 1782 he was one of Vermont's agents who negotiated with the

Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislative bodies, with some executive function, for thirteen of Britain's colonies in North America, and the newly declared United States just before, during, and after the American Revolutionary War. ...

. In 1782 he became lieutenant governor, and he served until 1787. He was Assistant Judge of the Windsor County Superior Court from 1779 to 1782, Chief Judge from 1784 to 1785, and Assistant Judge again from 1785 until his death. Grave of Paul Spooner

Spooner died at the age of 44 in North Hartland on September 4, 1789.The Bibliography of Vermont
by Marcus Davis Gilman, page 260 His home can still be found in North Hartland, very close to Cutts Cemetery where he is buried.

Family

Dr. Spooner married Asenath Wright on April 15, 1770. They had three children before her death in March, 1777. Daughter Elizabeth (Betsy) (1770-1853) was the wife of David Denny (1764-1821) of

Northfield, Vermont Northfield is a New England town, town in Washington County, Vermont, United States. The town lies in a valley within the Green Mountains and has been home to Norwich University since 1866. It contains the Northfield (CDP), Vermont, village of No ...

, and the mother of nine children. Their sons were Paul S. (b. 1772) and Amasa (b. 1774). In 1779, he married a cousin, Anna Cogswell (d. 1800), who was the widow of Captain Jeremiah Post (d. 1777) of

Orford, New Hampshire Orford is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,237 at the 2020 census, unchanged from the 2010 census. The Appalachian Trail crosses in the east. History First called "Number Seven" in a line of Connect ...

. Paul and Anna Spooner had no children. Paul S. Spooner was an early settler of Hardwick, and served as town clerk and a member of 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 ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spooner, Paul 1746 births 1789 deaths People from Hartland, Vermont Lieutenant Governors of Vermont People of Vermont in the American Revolution Justices of the Vermont Supreme Court Vermont state court judges People of pre-statehood Vermont Burials in Vermont People from Dartmouth, Massachusetts