William Brayton (August 27, 1787 – August 5, 1828) was a Vermont attorney, politician, and judge. He served as a justice of the

Vermont Supreme Court The Vermont Supreme Court is the highest judicial authority of the U.S. state of Vermont. Unlike most other states, the Vermont Supreme Court hears appeals directly from the trial courts, as Vermont has no intermediate appeals court. The Court ...

from 1817 to 1821.

Biography

William Brayton was born in

Lansingburgh, New York Lansingburgh was a village in the north end of Troy, New York, Troy. It was first laid out in lots and incorporated in 1771 by Abraham Jacob Lansing, who had purchased the land in 1763. In 1900, Lansingburgh became part of the Troy, New York, Cit ...

(now part of the city of

Troy Troy ( el, Τροία and Latin: Troia, Hittite: 𒋫𒊒𒄿𒊭 ''Truwiša'') or Ilion ( el, Ίλιον and Latin: Ilium, Hittite: 𒃾𒇻𒊭 ''Wiluša'') was an ancient city located at Hisarlik in present-day Turkey, south-west of Ç ...

) on August 22, 1787. His family was residing in

Greenfield, New York Greenfield is a town in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 7,362 at the 2000 census. The town is named after Greenfield, New Hampshire. It is located northwest of Saratoga Springs, which it borders, and students livi ...

when Brayton attended

Williams College Williams College is a private liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams, a colonist from the Province of Massachusetts Bay who was kill ...

from 1800 to 1801. He left college before graduating, studied law, and attained admission to the bar of

Franklin County, Vermont Franklin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Vermont. As of the 2020 census, the population was 49,946. Its county seat is the city of St. Albans. It borders the Canadian province of Quebec. The county was created in 1792 and organ ...

in 1807. Brayton settled in Swanton, where he established a successful practice and became active in politics and government as a member of the

Democratic-Republican Party The Democratic-Republican Party, known at the time as the Republican Party and also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party among other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the earl ...

. In addition, he served as Swanton's postmaster from 1809 to 1815. Those who studied law under Brayton with the intention of becoming attorneys included

David M. Camp David M. Camp (April 21, 1788 – February 20, 1871) was a Vermont attorney and politician who served as the List of Lieutenant Governors of Vermont, 12th lieutenant governor of Vermont from 1836 to 1841 under Governor Silas H. Jennison. Biograph ...

. In 1815, Brayton was named presiding judge of the Franklin County Court. In 1816, he was chosen as one of Vermont's presidential electors, and he cast his ballot for

James Monroe James Monroe ( ; April 28, 1758July 4, 1831) was an American statesman, lawyer, diplomat, and Founding Father who served as the fifth president of the United States from 1817 to 1825. A member of the Democratic-Republican Party, Monroe was ...

and

Daniel D. Tompkins Daniel D. Tompkins (June 21, 1774 – June 11, 1825) was an American politician. He was the fifth governor of New York from 1807 to 1817, and the sixth vice president of the United States from 1817 to 1825. Born in Scarsdale, New York, Tompkins ...

for president and vice president. In 1817, he represented Swanton in the Vermont House of Representatives. In 1817, Brayton was appointed a justice of the

, succeeding William A. Palmer, and relocated to

St. Albans St Albans () is a cathedral city in Hertfordshire, England, east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, north-west of London, south-west of Welwyn Garden City and south-east of Luton. St Albans was the first major town on the old Roman r ...

. He served until 1821, and was succeeded by

Charles K. Williams Charles Kilbourne Williams (January 24, 1782March 9, 1853) was an American lawyer and politician. He served as Chief Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court from 1834 to 1846 and as 20th governor of Vermont from 1850 to 1852. Biography Williams wa ...

. After leaving the bench he 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 ...

, where he practiced law until his death.

Death and burial

Brayton died in Burlington on August 5, 1828; he was buried at Elmwood Cemetery in Burlington.

Family

In 1812, Brayton married Hortensia Penniman (1795-1827), the daughter of Frances Montresor ( Ethan Allen's widow) and Jabez Penniman. Their children included: Frances Margaret (1814-1854); Agnes Abigail (1816-1902); Cornelia (1817-1855); William Henry (1820-1854); and Hannibal (1823-1825). Frances was the wife of Henry Norton, and died in Fayetteville, a now defunct community near

Elkhorn, Wisconsin Elkhorn is a city in Walworth County, Wisconsin, United States. It is located southwest of Milwaukee. As of the 2020 census, it was home to 10,247 people, up from 10,084 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat. Geography Elkhorn is located ...

. Agnes married John Adam Brinegar, and died in

Granby, Missouri Granby is a city in Newton County, Missouri, United States. The population was 2,134 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Joplin, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area. History A post office called Granby has been in operation since 1856. The c ...

. Cornelia was the wife of Valentine Seman Ferris (1809-1879) of Vergennes. William Henry died in

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

References

Sources

Books

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Internet

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Magazines

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Brayton, William 1787 births 1828 deaths Politicians from Troy, New York People from Greenfield, New York People from Swanton (town), Vermont People from St. Albans, Vermont People from Burlington, Vermont Vermont lawyers Vermont postmasters Vermont Democratic-Republicans Vermont state court judges Members of the Vermont House of Representatives Justices of the Vermont Supreme Court Burials in Vermont 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American judges 19th-century American lawyers