Thomas Bartlett Jr. (June 18, 1808 – September 12, 1876) was an American lawyer and politician. He served as a

U.S. Representative 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 chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from

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 ...

Biography

Bartlett was born in

Sutton, Vermont Sutton is a town in Caledonia County, Vermont, United States. The population was 913 at the 2020 census. History Sutton was chartered on February 26, 1782 by the Vermont Legislature. Chartered as Billymead to Dr. Jonathan Arnold of Rhode Island ...

, and attended the

common school A common school was a public school in the United States during the 19th century. Horace Mann (1796–1859) was a strong advocate for public education and the common school. In 1837, the state of Massachusetts appointed Mann as the first secretary o ...

s. He studied law under

Isaac Fletcher Isaac Fletcher may refer to: *Isaac Fletcher (American politician) Isaac Fletcher (November 22, 1784 – October 19, 1842) was an American lawyer and politician. He served as a U.S. Representative from Vermont and as Adjutant General of the Ve ...

at the same time as

Thomas J. D. Fuller Thomas James Duncan Fuller (March 17, 1808 – February 13, 1876) was a United States representative from Maine. Early life Fuller was born in Hardwick, Vermont, on March 17, 1808. He was the oldest of four children born to Martin Fuller (1780� ...

, and was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1833. He began the practice of law in

Groton, Vermont Groton is a town in Caledonia County, Vermont, United States. The population was 984 at the 2020 census. It contains the places Groton Pond, Rickers Mills, Rickers and West Groton. The unincorporated village of Groton in the southeast corner of ...

. In 1836 he moved to

Lyndon, Vermont Lyndon is a town in Caledonia County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,491. Lyndon is the home of Lyndon State College. The town contains one incorporated village, Lyndonville, and four unincorporated village ...

, where he continued to practice law. From 1839 until 1842, Bartlett served as the

State's attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a loc ...

for Caledonia County. He was a member of the Vermont State Senate in 1841 and 1842, and served in the Vermont House of Representatives in 1849, 1850, 1854 and 1855. Bartlett was a delegate to the State constitutional conventions in 1850 and 1857, and was President of the Vermont Constitutional Convention in 1850. Bartlett was elected 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 ...

to the Thirty-second Congress, serving from March 4, 1851 until March 3, 1853. In Congress, he served as chairman of the Committee on Expenditures on Public Buildings. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1852. After leaving Congress, Bartlett resumed the practice of law. In 1851, Bartlett aired his dismay for the current behavior of college students in a letter that appeared in the July 19, 1851 edition of the Caledonian, a newspaper printed at St. Johnsbury, VT. The letter then became a pamphlet entitled "An Epistolary Disquisition on College Morality." His main complaint was what he felt was the loose language of college students. He had sent the letter to the editor outlining his complaints and the pamphlet, written just before his induction to the 32nd Congress, was written to justify his earlier criticisms. A pamphlet mocking Bartlett for his criticisms of "the shockingly profane and obscene" language he complains of was circulated in late 1851 with Barlett's letter printed intact and a mocking rebuke of the letter and its author following.

Death

Bartlett died on September 12, 1876 in Lyndon, Vermont. He is interred in Lyndon Town Cemetery in Lyndon.United States House of Representatives
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References

External links

Biographical Directory of the United States Congress: BARTLETT, Thomas, Jr., (1808 - 1876)

Govtrack.us: Lucius Benedict Peck

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bartlett, Thomas Jr. 1808 births 1876 deaths People from Caledonia County, Vermont Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Vermont Democratic Party members of the Vermont House of Representatives Democratic Party Vermont state senators State's attorneys in Vermont Vermont lawyers American lawyers admitted to the practice of law by reading law 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American lawyers Burials in Vermont