William Hebard (November 29, 1800October 20, 1875) was an American attorney and politician 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 ...

. He served in several elected offices, and was most notable for representing Vermont 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 chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

for two terms (1849-1853). Born in Hebard

Windham, Connecticut Windham is a town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. It contains the former city of Willimantic as well as the boroughs of Windham Center, North Windham, and South Windham. Willimantic, an incorporated city since 1893, was consol ...

, Hebard was raised in

Randolph, Vermont Randolph is a town in Orange County, Vermont, United States. The population was 4,774 at the 2020 census, making Randolph the largest town in Orange County. The town is a commercial center for many of the smaller, rural farming communities that ...

. He taught school before attaining admission to the bar in 1827. While practicing in Randolph, Hebard was active in politics and government as a Whig, and the offices he held included state's attorney, probate judge, member of the Vermont House and Senate, and associate justice of the state supreme court. In 1845, Hebard moved to

Chelsea, Vermont Chelsea is a town in and the shire town (county seat) of Orange County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,233 at the 2020 census. Geography Chelsea is located in a river valley in central Vermont. The First Branch of the White Ri ...

, where he continued to practice law. He was elected to Congress in 1848, and served two terms, 1849 to 1853. Hebard became 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 ...

when the party was founded in the 1850s, and represented Chelsea in the Vermont House several times in the 1850s, 1860s, and 1870s. He was also a delegate to the state constitutional convention in 1857, and the 1860 Republican National Convention. Hebard continued to practice law almost until his death. He died in Chelsea, and was buried in Randolph Center's Old Cemetery.

Early life

Hebard was born in

, one of seven children born to Diah Hebard (1757-1841) and Zerviah Hebert (or Ebert) (d. 1850). His parents moved to

when Hebard was a boy, and he was raised on the family farm in West Randolph. He attended the local schools of Randolph, and Randolph's Orange County Grammar School. Hebard taught school while he studied law with attorney William Nutting of Randolph, 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 1827, and commenced practice in

East Randolph, Vermont Randolph is a town in Orange County, Vermont, United States. The population was 4,774 at the 2020 census, making Randolph the largest town in Orange County. The town is a commercial center for many of the smaller, rural farming communities that ...

Start of career

Hebard was long active in politics and government, and the offices he held while residing in Randolph included: * State's attorney of

Orange County Orange County most commonly refers to: *Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area Orange County may also refer to: U.S. counties *Orange County, Florida, containing Orlando *Orange County, Indiana *Orange County, New ...

from 1832 to 1833, 1834 to 1835, and 1836 to 1837. * Member of the Vermont House of Representatives from Randolph from 1835 to 1836, and 1840 to 1843. * Member 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 ...

from Orange County from 1836 to 1837, and 1838 to 1839. * Judge of Probate for Orange County's Randolph district from 1838 to 1839, and 1840 to 1842. * Associate 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 ...

in 1842, and again in 1844.

U.S. Congressman

Hebard moved to

in 1845. In 1848, he was elected to the United States House of Representatives as a Whig, and he served two terms, March 4, 1849 to March 3, 1853. In 1849, Hebard served on the state Council of Censors, the body which met every seven years to review actions of Vermont's government and ensure their constitutionality. While he practiced in Chelsea, the students who learned under Hebard's tutelage in preparation for legal careers of their own included Jonathan Ross.

Later career

After leaving Congress, Hebard practiced law in partnership with Burnham Martin. By now a

, he was a delegate to the 1857 state constitutional convention, and served in the Vermont House of Representatives from Chelsea from 1858 to 1860, 1864 to 1866, and 1872 to 1874. He was also delegate to the 1860 Republican National Convention.

Death

Hebard died in Chelsea on October 20, 1875. He was interred in Randolph Center's Old Cemetery.

Family

In 1830, Hebard married Elizabeth Starkwether Brown (d. 1880), a niece and adopted daughter of Olivia Brown Chase and

Dudley Chase Dudley Chase (December 30, 1771February 23, 1846) was a U.S. Senator from Vermont who served from 1813 to 1817 and again from 1825 to 1831. He was born in Cornish, New Hampshire. Career After graduating from Dartmouth College in 1791, he s ...

. They were the parents of five children: Olivia (b. 1832), William (died at age seven), Salmon (1835-1894), George (1840-1879), and another son who was named William (b. 1845) following the death of his elder brother.

References

Sources

Books

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Newspapers

Internet

External links

*
William Hebard
at Govtrack US Congress *

at The Political Graveyard {{DEFAULTSORT:Hebard, William 1800 births 1875 deaths People from Windham, Connecticut People from Chelsea, Vermont People from Randolph, Vermont Vermont Republicans Justices of the Vermont Supreme Court Whig Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Vermont Burials in Vermont 19th-century American politicians State's attorneys in Vermont 19th-century American judges