Vernon A. Bullard (October 14, 1858 – September 8, 1928) 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 ...

attorney and public official. He served as

United States Attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal c ...

for the

District of Vermont The United States District Court for the District of Vermont (in case citations, D. Vt.) is the federal district court whose jurisdiction is the federal district of Vermont. The court has locations in Brattleboro, Burlington, and Rutland. The ...

from 1915 to 1923. Bullard was a native of Hyde Park, Vermont, and taught school while completing his education at Vermont Normal School and the University of Michigan Law School. He practiced law beginning in 1884, first in Underhill and later in

Burlington Burlington may refer to: Places Canada Geography * Burlington, Newfoundland and Labrador * Burlington, Nova Scotia * Burlington, Ontario, the most populous city with the name "Burlington" * Burlington, Prince Edward Island * Burlington Bay, no ...

. 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 ...

, Bullard served 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 ...

, and ran unsuccessfully for offices including

Vermont Attorney General The Vermont Attorney General is a statewide elected executive official in the U.S. state of Vermont who is elected every two years. It was created by an act of the Vermont General Assembly in 1790, repealed in 1797, and revived in 1904. The office ...

. From 1915 to 1923, Bullard served as Vermont's U.S. Attorney. Bullard died in Burlington and was buried at Riverbank Cemetery, Stowe, Vermont.

Early life

Vernon Alvord Bullard was born in Hyde Park, Vermont on October 14, 1858, the eldest son of Edwin and Olive (Harrington) Bullard. He was educated in Hyde Park, and began to teach school in 1878. While teaching, Bullard attended the Vermont Normal School, from which he graduated in 1880. Bullard continued to teach while taking courses at the University of Michigan Law School, from which he received his LL.B. in 1884. He was admitted to the bar later that year and commenced practice in Underhill.

Early career

After practicing in Underhill for ten years, Bullard relocated to

, where he continued to practice. Bullard successfully handled several prominent criminal trials and earned a reputation as a skilled lawyer in civil cases, winning several judgments for medical malpractice. Bullard was active in politics as a

during an era when

Republicans 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 ...

won all statewide elections in Vermont and most local and county elections as well. Despite his party affiliation, he was well-enough regarded that he was elected to represent Underhill in the

from 1890 to 1891, and served for many years as moderator of the Underhill town meeting and a

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

. From 1892 to 1896, Bullard was a special inspector of customs for the

United States Department of the Treasury The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States, where it serves as an executive department. The department oversees the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and t ...

Continued career

For several years, Bullard was chairman of the Chittenden County Democratic Committee, and he served as a delegate to numerous state party conventions. He was also an unsuccessful candidate for Member of

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of a ...

from Vermont's

1st District The Innere Stadt (; Central Bavarian: ''Innare Stod'') is the 1st municipal district of Vienna () located in the center of the Austrian capital. The Innere Stadt is the old town of Vienna. Until the city boundaries were expanded in 1850, the Inn ...

(1894) and Chittenden County

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 ...

. Bullard represented Burlington in the Vermont House from 1904 to 1905, and was credited with securing the appropriation that made possible the construction of Morrill Hall at the

University of Vermont The University of Vermont (UVM), officially the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont. It was founded in 1791 and is amon ...

. He was a delegate to the

1904 Democratic National Convention The 1904 Democratic National Convention was an American presidential nominating convention that ran from July 6 through 10 in the Coliseum of the St. Louis Exposition and Music Hall in St. Louis, Missouri. Breaking with eight years of control by ...

, and in 1906 he was the unsuccessful Democratic nominee for

. Bullard served as Burlington's city attorney for several years, and from 1905 to 1913 he was a member of the city school board, including serving as chairman from 1909 to 1913. In 1908, he was the Democratic nominee for

United States Senator The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...

against incumbent Republican

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 ...

, and the

Vermont General Assembly The Vermont General Assembly is the legislative body of the state of Vermont, in the United States. The Legislature is formally known as the "General Assembly," but the style of "Legislature" is commonly used, including by the body itself. The G ...

chose Dillingham by a vote of 230 to 38.

United States Attorney

In 1915, Bullard was appointed

for the

, succeeding

Alexander Dunnett Alexander Dunnett (November 29, 1852 - September 14, 1920) was an attorney and politician from Vermont. A Republican, he was most notable for his service as State's Attorney of Caledonia County (1886-1890), a member of the Vermont Senate (190 ...

. He served until 1923, and was succeeded by Harry B. Amey. During Bullard's tenure, crimes that fell under federal jurisdiction were on the rise as the result of societal changes including increased urbanization, as well an increase in illegal activities connected to criminalizing the sale of opiates and cocaine,

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 ...

, and passage of

Prohibition in the United States In the United States from 1920 to 1933, a Constitution of the United States, nationwide constitutional law prohibition, prohibited the production, importation, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages. The alcohol industry was curtai ...

. As a result, Bullard's office handled as many as four times the cases of his predecessors, including

draft evaders Draft evasion is any successful attempt to elude a government-imposed obligation to serve in the military forces of one's nation. Sometimes draft evasion involves refusing to comply with the military draft laws of one's nation. Illegal draft ev ...

drug dealers The illegal drug trade or drug trafficking is a global black market dedicated to the cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of prohibited drugs. Most jurisdictions prohibit trade, except under license, of many types of drugs through ...

, and

bootleggers Bootleg or bootlegging most often refers to: * Bootleg recording, an audio or video recording released unofficially * Rum-running, the illegal business of transporting and trading in alcoholic beverages, hence: ** Moonshine, or illicitly made ...

Death and burial

Bullard died in Burlington on September 8, 1928. He was buried in plot 5G-31 at Riverbank Cemetery in Stowe, Vermont.

Family

In 1885, Bullard married Fluella R. Stowe (1858–1894) of Morrisville. She died in 1894, and they were the parents of two children, son Haven Stowe and daughter Augusta Ruth, the wife of Earle Benjamin of

Plymouth, New Hampshire Plymouth is a rural New England town, town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States, in the White Mountains Region. It has a unique role as the economic, medical, commercial, and cultural center for the predom ...

. His second wife was Anniebel Stowe (1865–1925), a sister of his first wife.

References

Sources

Books

Newspapers

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Internet

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External links

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Vernon A. Bullard
at The Political Graveyard {{DEFAULTSORT:Bullard, Vernon A. 1858 births 1928 deaths People from Hyde Park, Vermont People from Underhill, Vermont Politicians from Burlington, Vermont Johnson State College alumni University of Michigan Law School alumni Vermont lawyers Democratic Party members of the Vermont House of Representatives United States Attorneys for the District of Vermont Burials in Vermont 19th-century American lawyers