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William Slade, Jr. (May 9, 1786January 16, 1859) was an American Whig and Anti-Masonic
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, a ...
. 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 ...
from 1831 to 1843, where he was an outspoken opponent of slavery. He was the 17th
governor of Vermont The governor of Vermont is the head of government of Vermont. The officeholder is elected in even-numbered years by direct voting for a term of 2 years. Vermont and bordering New Hampshire are the only states to hold gubernatorial elections every ...
.


Biography

Slade was born in
Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...
in the
Vermont Republic The Vermont Republic ( French: ''République du Vermont''), officially known at the time as the State of Vermont ( French: ''État du Vermont''), was an independent state in New England that existed from January 15, 1777, to March 4, 1791. The ...
on May 9, 1786, the son of William Slade and Rebecca Plumb. He attended the public schools and graduated from
Middlebury College Middlebury College is a private liberal arts college in Middlebury, Vermont. Founded in 1800 by Congregationalists, Middlebury was the first operating college or university in Vermont. The college currently enrolls 2,858 undergraduates from all ...
in 1807 with fellow classmates
Daniel Azro Ashley Buck Daniel Azro Ashley Buck (April 19, 1789December 24, 1841) was an American lawyer and politician in the U.S. state of Vermont. He served as a U.S. Representative from Vermont and as Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives. Early life Buc ...
and
Stephen Royce Stephen Royce (August 12, 1787November 11, 1868) was an American lawyer, judge and politician. Originally a Democratic-Republican, and later a Whig Party, he became a Republican when the party was formed in the mid-1850s. Royce served as an ass ...
. He studied law with
Joel Doolittle Joel Doolittle (April, 1773/1774 – March 9, 1841) was a Vermont attorney, judge and politician. He served as a member of the Vermont House of Representatives, a member of the state executive council, president of the state Council of Censors, ...
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 1810. He began the practice of law in
Middlebury, Vermont Middlebury is the shire town (county seat) of Addison County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the population was 9,152. Middlebury is home to Middlebury College and the Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History. History One of ...
. Slade married Abigail Foot on February 5, 1810, in Middlebury. They had nine children between 1810 and 1829; four died very young. One son, James M. Slade, served as
Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...
from 1856 to 1857. William Slade was a
Democratic-Republican 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 early ...
presidential elector in
1812 Events January–March * January 1 – The ''Allgemeines bürgerliches Gesetzbuch'' (the Austrian civil code) enters into force in the Austrian Empire. * January 19 – Peninsular War: The French-held fortress of Ciudad Rodrigo Siege of ...
and 1820. Slade engaged in editorial work; he established and was editor of the ''Columbian Patriot'' from 1814 to 1816 and maintained a book store and printing office. He was
Vermont Secretary of State The secretary of state of Vermont is one of five cabinet-level constitutional officers in the U.S. state of Vermont which are elected every two years. The secretary of state is fourth (behind the lieutenant governor, speaker of the House of Repre ...
from 1815 to 1822, Judge of the
Addison County Addison County is a county located in the U.S. state of Vermont. As of the 2020 census, the population was 37,363. Its shire town (county seat) is the town of Middlebury. History Iroquois settled in the county before Europeans arrived in 160 ...
Court from 1816 to 1822, and Clerk in the U.S. State Department in
Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, from 1823 to 1829. In 1831, Slade was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as an Anti-Masonic candidate in a special election to fill the vacancy created by the death of
Rollin C. Mallary Rollin Carolas Mallary (May 27, 1784 – April 15, 1831) was an American lawyer and politician. He served as U.S. Representative from Vermont. Biography Mallary was born in Cheshire, Connecticut, and graduated from Middlebury College in 1805. H ...
. He was reelected as an Anti-Masonic candidate to the Twenty-third and Twenty-fourth Congresses and as a Whig candidate to the Twenty-fifth, Twenty-sixth and Twenty-seventh Congresses, serving from November 1, 1831, to March 3, 1843. On December 20, 1837, Slade played a central role early in the
House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...
's debate over slavery and the slave trade in the
District of Columbia ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
. A year earlier the House had adopted a rule prohibiting discussion of those subjects as too contentious. Slade asked that a committee be appointed to consider anti-slavery petitions and contended the
gag rule A gag rule is a rule that limits or forbids the raising, consideration, or discussion of a particular topic, often but not always by members of a legislative or decision-making body. A famous example of gag rules is the series of rules concernin ...
did not apply since he was discussing the creation of a committee rather than slavery itself. He nevertheless discussed the history of slavery and its inhumanity at length as groups of congressmen from Southern states tried to shout him down and then left in protest. As a result the House adopted a more extensive gag rule the next day. Slade was the reporter of decisions 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 ...
in 1843 and 1844. He was elected to a one-year term as
Governor of Vermont The governor of Vermont is the head of government of Vermont. The officeholder is elected in even-numbered years by direct voting for a term of 2 years. Vermont and bordering New Hampshire are the only states to hold gubernatorial elections every ...
in 1844, defeating Democratic nominee Daniel Kellogg. The next year no candidate won a majority of votes cast and the legislature elected him to a second term. During his tenure, public schools were successfully reorganized. After leaving office, Slade was corresponding secretary of the Board of National Popular Education from 1846 to 1859, which he co-founded with
Catharine Beecher Catharine Esther Beecher (September 6, 1800 – May 12, 1878) was an American educator known for her forthright opinions on female education as well as her vehement support of the many benefits of the incorporation of kindergarten into children's ...
. The Board worked to place female teachers in schools in western United States. Slade died in
Middlebury, Vermont Middlebury is the shire town (county seat) of Addison County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the population was 9,152. Middlebury is home to Middlebury College and the Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History. History One of ...
, on January 16, 1859, and is interred at West Cemetery in Middlebury. Also memorialized on the family burial monument is Eliza Dodson, an African-American girl whom Slade brought to Vermont from Washington. Slade had her buried in his family plot when she died on April 19, 1853, at the age of 18.


Published works

* "Vermont State Papers" (Middlebury, 1823), * "The Laws of Vermont to 1824" (Windsor, 1825) * "Reports of the Supreme Court of Vermont, Vol. XV," (Burlington, 1844).


References


External links

*
The Political Graveyard
*
Historical Marker Database



Office of the Clerk US House of Representatives: Vermont Representative William Slade’s antislavery speech in the 25th Congress
{{DEFAULTSORT:Slade, William 1786 births 1859 deaths People from Cornwall, Vermont Vermont Democratic-Republicans Anti-Masonic Party politicians from Vermont Anti-Masonic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Vermont Whig Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Vermont Whig Party state governors of the United States Governors of Vermont Secretaries of State of Vermont Vermont state court judges Vermont lawyers Middlebury College alumni 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American judges 19th-century American lawyers