Seneca M. Dorr (August 14, 1820 – December 3, 1884) 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, judge and

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

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 ...

of 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 ...

. He was the husband of author Julia C. R. Dorr.

Biography

Seneca Milo Dorr was born in Chatham Center, New York on August 14, 1820. An acquaintance of

Martin Van Buren Martin Van Buren ( ; nl, Maarten van Buren; ; December 5, 1782 – July 24, 1862) was an American lawyer and statesman who served as the eighth president of the United States from 1837 to 1841. A primary founder of the Democratic Party, he ...

, he studied law, passed the bar, and practiced in

Ghent Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest in the country, exceeded i ...

. In 1857, he moved to Rutland, Vermont, where he practiced law and became active in the

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite. Marble is typically not foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the term ''marble'' refers to metamorphose ...

business. Dorr also became involved in

banking A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets. Becau ...

and stockbrokerage. Originally 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 ...

, Dorr opposed

slavery Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

and as a result joined the

Free Soil The Free Soil Party was a short-lived coalition political party in the United States active from 1848 to 1854, when it merged into the Republican Party. The party was largely focused on the single issue of opposing the expansion of slavery into ...

movement and later became a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

. In 1863 Dorr served on the

Vermont Council of Censors The Constitution of the State of Vermont is the fundamental body of law of the U.S. state of Vermont, describing and framing its government. It was adopted in 1793 following Vermont's admission to the Union in 1791 and is largely based upon the ...

, and he was a member of the Vermont House of Representatives from 1863 to 1865. From 1865 to 1866, Dorr served in the

, and was the Senate's President pro tempore. From 1876 to 1877, Dorr served as Rutland County Assistant Judge. Dorr died in Rutland on December 3, 1884. He was buried in Rutland's Evergreen Cemetery.

Family

Seneca Dorr married Julia Caroline Ripley on February 22, 1847. Seneca and Julia Dorr were the parents of Russell, William, Zulma, Joseph (who died in infancy) and Henry. Julia Dorr's half-brothers and Seneca Dorr's brothers-in-law were Edward H. Ripley and

William Y. W. Ripley William Young Warren Ripley (December 31, 1832 – December 16, 1905) was a Union Army officer from Vermont in the American Civil War. He received the Medal of Honor for heroism at the Battle of Malvern Hill. Early life William Y. W. Ripley wa ...

, both prominent officers in 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 ...

.St. Albans Daily Messenger
W.Y.W. Riley Dead
December 21, 1905, reprinted at Vermont in the Civil War

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dorr, Seneca M. 1820 births 1884 deaths People from Chatham, New York People from Rutland (town), Vermont New York (state) lawyers Vermont lawyers New York (state) Democrats New York (state) Free Soilers New York (state) Republicans Republican Party members of the Vermont House of Representatives Republican Party Vermont state senators Presidents pro tempore of the Vermont Senate Vermont state court judges People from Ghent, New York 19th-century American judges 19th-century American lawyers Burials at Evergreen Cemetery (Rutland, Vermont)