Josiah Grout Jr. (May 28, 1841July 19, 1925) was an American lawyer and politician in the US state of

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 ...

. Born in the British Canadian Province of

Lower Canada The Province of Lower Canada (french: province du Bas-Canada) was a British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence (1791–1841). It covered the southern portion of the current Province of Quebec an ...

to Vermonter parents, he served in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

as a

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," f ...

before entering the legal profession after the war. A

Republican 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 ...

, he entered politics and was elected to both houses of 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 ...

, serving as

Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives The Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives is the Speaker or presiding officer of the Vermont House of Representatives, the lower house of the Vermont Legislature. The Speaker presides over sessions of the Houses, recognizes members s ...

. Grout was elected the 46th

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 ...

and served from 1896 to 1898.

Early life

Grout was born in

Compton Compton may refer to: Places Canada * Compton (electoral district), a former Quebec federal electoral district * Compton (provincial electoral district), a former Quebec provincial electoral district now part of Mégantic-Compton * Compton, Que ...

in the British Canadian Province of

. He was the son of Josiah and Sophronia (Ayer) Grout. His parents, native Vermonters, returned to that state when he was six. He received his early education in the public schools and at Orleans Liberal Institute at

Glover, Vermont Glover is a town in Orleans County, Vermont, in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the town's population was 1,114. It contains two unincorporated villages, Glover and West Glover. The town is named for Brigadier General John Glover, wh ...

. He was a student at St. Johnsbury Academy when the Civil War broke out, and he left to enlist.

Civil War

Grout enlisted October 2, 1861, as a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

in Company I, 1st Vermont Cavalry. He mustered in as 2nd Lieutenant, Company I, on October 21, 1861. He was promoted to

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a ...

on April 25, 1862, and captain on April 4, 1863. After participating in 17 battles, he was wounded on April 1, 1863, at the

Skirmish at Miskel Farm The Skirmish at Miskel Farm, also known as the Fight at Miskel Farm or Gunfight at Miskel Farm, was a skirmish during the American Civil War. It took place April 1, 1863, near Broad Run in Loudoun County, Virginia, between Mosby's Rangers and ...

against the Confederate partisan

John S. Mosby John Singleton Mosby (December 6, 1833 – May 30, 1916), also known by his nickname "Gray Ghost", was a Confederate army cavalry battalion commander in the American Civil War. His command, the 43rd Battalion, Virginia Cavalry, known as Mosb ...

, near Broad Run, Virginia, and was discharged due to his wounds on October 1, 1863. After the St. Albans Raid, he was commissioned captain, Company M, Vermont Frontier Cavalry (26th New York Cavalry), on January 10, 1865, and promoted to major of the regiment on March 22, 1865. He mustered out with the two Vermont companies on June 27, 1865.

Career in law and politics

After the war, he studied law in Barton with his brother,

William W. Grout William Wallace Grout (May 24, 1836October 7, 1902) was an American politician and lawyer. He served as a U.S. Representative from Vermont. Biography Grout was born in Compton in Lower Canada (now Quebec), the son of Josiah and Sophronia (Aye ...

, a Civil War veteran and politician. Josiah Grout 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 December 1865 and in 1866 moved to Island Pond, where he was in charge of the Customs House for three years. His appointment included the districts of Newport and

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 ...

. In October 1867, he married Harriet Hinman, daughter of Aaron and Nancy (Stewart) Hinman. In 1874, he moved to Chicago, and afterward to

Moline, Illinois Moline ( ) is a city located in Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. With a population of 42,985 in 2020, it is the largest city in Rock Island County. Moline is one of the Quad Cities, along with neighboring East Moline and Rock Island ...

, where he was one of the supervisors of

Rock Island County Rock Island County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois, bounded on the west by the Mississippi River. According to the 2010 census, it had a population of 147,546. Its county seat is Rock Island; its largest city is neighboring ...

for two years. He returned to Vermont in 1880, where he took up farming, and raised some of the finest

Jersey cattle The Jersey is a British list of cattle breeds, breed of small dairy cattle from Jersey, in the British Channel Islands. It is one of three Channel Island cattle breeds, the others being the Alderney (cattle), Alderney – now extinct – and th ...

, blooded Morgan horses and

Shropshire sheep The Shropshire breed of domestic sheep originated from the hills of Shropshire, and North Staffordshire, England, during the 1840s. The breeders in the area used the local horned black-faced sheep and crossed them with a few breeds of white-faced ...

in Vermont.rootsweb.ancestry.com
/ref> A Republican, Grout represented Newport in the Vermont House of Representatives in 1872 and 1874, and

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby g ...

in 1884, 1886 and 1883. He was elected state Senator from Orleans County in 1892. In 1874, 1886 and 1888 he was

. Grout was also head of the Republican Club of Derby, and was vice president of the Vermont League of Republican Clubs for four years, and president for one. At the Republican State Convention on June 17, 1896, Grout was narrowly nominated as the party's candidate for governor, received 339 votes compared to William W. Stickney's 336. He easily beat Democrat J. Henry Jackson in the general election, receiving 53,426 votes (76.4%) to Jackson's 14,855 (21.2%). Grout's term was highlighted by enhancement to the state's educational system, the establishment of the post of

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 ...

, a visit to the

Tennessee Centennial Exposition The Tennessee Centennial and International Exposition was an exposition held in Nashville from May 1 – October 31, 1897 in what is now Centennial Park. A year late, it celebrated the 100th anniversary of Tennessee's entry into the union in 17 ...

. The

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (cloc ...

broke out during Grout's term, and at the start of the war Grout tended the services of a regiment of infantry and a battery of six guns from the Vermont Militia, which was accepted by the federal government. On May 21, 1898, he dispatched a regiment of 47 officers and 980 men to the war. Due to the short duration of the war, however, the Vermont regiment saw no active service, and returned to the state on August 21, where it was reviewed by Grout at Camp Ethan Allen. In October 1898, Grout was succeeded by Edward Curtis Smith, son of one of Vermont's previous governors, J. Gregory Smith. Grout again represented Derby in the General Assembly in 1904. Grout died in Derby, and is buried in the Derby Center cemetery. His son

Aaron H. Grout Aaron Hinman Grout (January 18, 1879 – December 29, 1966) was an American judge and political figure who served as Secretary of State of Vermont. Early life Grout was born in Rock Island, Illinois, on January 18, 1879. He was the son of Govern ...

, served as

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 Repr ...

from 1923 to 1927.

References

* Crockett, Walter Hill, ''Vermont The Green Mountain State,'' New York: The Century History Company, Inc., 1921, pp. iv:162, 177, 242, 244–245, 248, 250, 257–260, 268,-269, 293, 295–296, 299. * Dodge, Prentiss C., compiler. ''Encyclopedia Vermont Biography 1912,'' Burlington, VT: Ullery Publishing Company, 1912, p. 49. * Ullery, Jacob G., compiler, ''Men of Vermont: An Illustrated Biographical History of Vermonters and Sons of Vermont,'' Brattleboro, VT: Transcript Publishing Company, 1894, Part ii, pp. 165–166. * Peck, Theodore S., compiler, ''Revised Roster of Vermont Volunteers and lists of Vermonters Who Served in the Army and Navy of the United States During the War of the Rebellion, 1861–66. Montpelier, VT.: Press of the Watchman Publishing Co., 1892, pp. 253, 656–657.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grout, Josiah 1842 births 1925 deaths Republican Party governors of Vermont People of Vermont in the American Civil War Republican Party Vermont state senators Speakers of the Vermont House of Representatives Republican Party members of the Vermont House of Representatives Vermont lawyers People from Derby, Vermont People from Newport (city), Vermont Burials in Vermont 19th-century American lawyers

Early life

Civil War

Career in law and politics

See also

References

Notes