Walter Kellogg Farnsworth (November 17, 1870 – August 2, 1929) 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 politician who served as the 55th lieutenant governor of Vermont.

Life and career

Farnsworth was born in Windsor, Vermont on November 17, 1870. He attended high school in

Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...

and

Woodstock Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held during August 15–18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, United States, southwest of the town of Woodstock, New York, Woodstock. ...

, and then studied law. He attained admission to the bar and established a practice in

Rutland Rutland () is a ceremonial county and unitary authority in the East Midlands, England. The county is bounded to the west and north by Leicestershire, to the northeast by Lincolnshire and the southeast by Northamptonshire. Its greatest len ...

. Farnsworth was also a horse breeder and an active member of the

Rutland County Rutland County is a county located in the U.S. state of Vermont. As of the 2020 census, the population was 60,572, making it the second-most populous county in Vermont. Its county seat and most populous municipality is the city of Rutland. H ...

Agricultural Society. A Republican, Farnsworth began his involvement in politics and government by serving as 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 ...

and as Assistant Secretary and Secretary 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 ...

in the late 1890s and early 1900s. Farnsworth was

Judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

of the Rutland City Court from 1907 to 1909. In 1908 he was an unsuccessful candidate for the Republican nomination for Secretary of State. In 1912 he was an unsuccessful candidate for the Republican nomination for a seat 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 ...

. Farnsworth also became involved with the Progressive Party, but later returned to the Republican fold. In 1918 he ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination for Vermont Secretary of State. Farnsworth subsequently moved to

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 ...

. He was elected to the Vermont Senate in 1922 and served one term, also serving as

Senate President President of the Senate is a title often given to the presiding officer of a senate. It corresponds to the speaker in some other assemblies. The senate president often ranks high in a jurisdiction's succession for its top executive office: for ex ...

. In 1924 Farnsworth won election as Lieutenant Governor, and served one term, 1925 to 1927. Farnsworth ran unsuccessfully for

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

in 1926, losing the Republican primary to John E. Weeks. Farnsworth died in Rutland on August 2, 1929. He was interred at Ascutney Cemetery in Windsor, Vermont.

Family

Farnsworth was the son of attorney Jonathan Brewer Farnsworth and Maria Augusta (Hatch) Farnsworth. Farnsworth's siblings included brothers George Henry (b. 1860), James Slayton (b. 1866), and Arthur White (b. 1872). Farnsworth never married, and had no children.

Sources

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Farnsworth, Walter K. 1870 births 1929 deaths Lieutenant Governors of Vermont People from Rutland (city), Vermont Republican Party Vermont state senators Presidents pro tempore of the Vermont Senate Vermont lawyers Vermont state court judges American lawyers admitted to the practice of law by reading law Burials in Vermont 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century American politicians