Samuel Mattocks (December 30, 1739 – January 18, 1804) was a

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

and

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 ...

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...

officer and political figure who served as

Vermont State Treasurer The State Treasurer's Office is responsible for several administrative and service duties, in accordance with Vermont Statutes. These include: investing state funds; issuing state bonds; serving as the central bank for state agencies; managing the ...

during the state's early years.

Early life

Samuel Mattocks was born in

Middletown, Connecticut Middletown is a city located in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States, Located along the Connecticut River, in the central part of the state, it is south of Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford. In 1650, it was incorporated by English settler ...

on December 30, 1739. He was living in

Hartford Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...

and owned a wig-making shop when he joined the Army for the American Revolution.

American Revolution

He was a member of the 8th Connecticut Regiment, commanding a

company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of people, whether Natural person, natural, Legal person, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common p ...

with the rank of

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

. The regiment took part in action throughout

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

and

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

, and Mattocks served until resigning in 1780, when he moved to

Tinmouth, Vermont Tinmouth is a town in Rutland County, Vermont, United States. The population was 553 at the 2020 census. History Tinmouth was established in 1761 in a region that came to be known as the New Hampshire Grants. At the first U.S. census, the t ...

Life in Vermont

Mattocks farmed and also became active in politics and government. He 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 1781 to 1785, and was a member of the Governor's Council in 1785. He was Assistant Judge of Rutland County from 1783 to 1788, Chief Judge from 1788 to 1793, and Assistant Judge again in 1794. From 1786 to 1800 Mattocks was Vermont's

State Treasurer In the state governments of the United States, 48 of the 50 states have the executive position of treasurer. New York abolished the position in 1926; duties were transferred to New York State Comptroller. Texas abolished the position of Texas ...

, and in 1792 he was a member of the Council of Censors. His term as Treasurer bridged the period from the founding of the

Vermont Republic The Vermont Republic ( French: ''République du Vermont''), officially known at the time as the State of Vermont ( French: ''État du Vermont''), was an independent state in New England that existed from January 15, 1777, to March 4, 1791. The ...

until Vermont achieved statehood in 1791.

Death and burial

Mattocks moved to Middlebury in 1797, and resided there until his death. He died on January 18, 1804, and was buried in Middlebury's Washington Street Cemetery.

Family

Samuel Mattocks married Sarah Birdwell (or Burdell) on March 14, 1763. Their children included: Samuel Mattocks Jr. (1764-1823), who was an innkeeper in Middlebury and served in local office; Sarah (1767–1778); Rebecca (1768–1841), the wife of Samuel Miller of Middlebury; Mary (1770–1777); and John (1777–1847).

John Mattocks John Mattocks (March 4, 1777 – August 14, 1847) was an American Whig politician, a brigadier general in the War of 1812, U.S. Representative, and 16th governor of Vermont. Biography Mattocks was born in Hartford, Connecticut on March 4, 177 ...

served in 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 ...

and was

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 ...

from 1843 to 1844.Prentiss Cutler Dodge
Encyclopedia of Vermont Biography
1912, page 35

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mattocks, Samuel 1739 births 1804 deaths Politicians from Middletown, Connecticut Politicians from Hartford, Connecticut People from Tinmouth, Vermont People from Middlebury, Vermont Continental Army officers from Connecticut Vermont state court judges Members of the Vermont House of Representatives People of pre-statehood Vermont State treasurers of Vermont Military personnel from Hartford, Connecticut