American judge
"Senator Poland" redirects here. For the Alaska State Senate member, see
Kathryn Poland
.
Luke Potter Poland
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In office
March 4, 1883 ? March 3, 1885
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Preceded by
| James M. Tyler
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Succeeded by
| William W. Grout
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In office
March 4, 1867 ? March 3, 1875
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Preceded by
| Justin Smith Morrill
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Succeeded by
| Dudley C. Denison
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In office
November 21, 1865 ? March 3, 1867
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Preceded by
| Jacob Collamer
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Succeeded by
| Justin S. Morrill
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In office
1886?1887
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Preceded by
| Orpheus T. Taylor
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Succeeded by
| Myron E. Church
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Constituency
| Waterville
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In office
1878?1880
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Preceded by
| Elijah Dickinson Blodgett
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Succeeded by
| Walter P. Smith
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Constituency
| St. Johnsbury
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In office
1860?1865
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Preceded by
| Isaac F. Redfield
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Succeeded by
| John Pierpoint
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In office
1857?1860
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Preceded by
| Pierpoint Isham
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Succeeded by
| Asahel Peck
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In office
1849?1850
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Preceded by
| Charles Davis
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Succeeded by
| None (Size of court reduced)
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Born
| (
1815-11-01
)
November 1, 1815
Westford, Vermont
, US
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Died
| July 2, 1887
(1887-07-02)
(aged 71)
Waterville, Vermont
, US
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Resting place
| Mount Pleasant Cemetery,
St. Johnsbury, Vermont
, US
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Political party
| Democratic
(1836?1848)
Free Soil
(1848?1854)
Republican
(from 1854)
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Spouse(s)
| Martha Smith Poland (m. 1838)
Adelia Henrietta Poland (m. 1854)
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Children
| 4
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Relatives
| Martha L. Poland Thurston
(niece)
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Profession
| Attorney
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Luke Potter Poland
(November 1, 1815 ? July 2, 1887) was an American attorney, politician, and judge from Vermont. A
Republican
, he was most notable for his service as a
justice
of the
Vermont Supreme Court
(associate justice from 1848 to 1849 and 1857 to 1860, chief justice from 1860 to 1865).
A native of
Westford, Vermont
, Poland was educated in the local schools and at
Jericho
Academy. While still in school, he worked in his father's sawmill and as a store clerk in
Waterville
. He received his qualification as a teacher, then taught school while
studying law
with an attorney in
Morristown
. He was
admitted to the bar
in 1836 and practiced in
Morrisville
.
Poland was an opponent of slavery and became active in politics as a
Democrat
, then gravitated to the
Free Soil Party
and
Republican Party
as the abolition movement gained increasing prominence in the 1840s and 1850s. He served in county offices including register of
probate
and
state's attorney
before being appointed an associate justice of the
Vermont Supreme Court
, an office he held from 1848 to 1849 and 1857 to 1860. From 1860 to 1865, he served as the court's chief justice.
In October 1865, Poland was appointed to temporarily succeed
Jacob Collamer
in the
United States Senate
, and he served from November 21, 1865 to March 3, 1867. In 1866, he was elected to the
United States House of Representatives
, and he served three terms, from March 4, 1867 to March 3, 1875. In 1882, he was again elected to the U.S. House and he served one term, from March 4, 1883 to March 3, 1885.
He served as the chair of the "Poland Committee", tasked with reporting on the “Condition of Affairs in the State of Arkansas,” after the
Brooks-Baxter War
[1]
Poland died at his summer home in
Waterville, Vermont
on July 2, 1887. He was buried at Mount Pleasant Cemetery in
St. Johnsbury, Vermont
Early life
[
edit
]
Poland was born in
Westford, Vermont
son of Luther and Nancy Potter Poland.
[2]
His father was a carpenter, farmer, and sawmill owner who also represented
Waterville, Vermont
in the
Vermont House of Representatives
.
He attended the common schools of Waterville and the
Jericho
Academy.
Poland worked as a clerk in
Waterville, Vermont
, worked in his father's sawmill, and taught in the public schools of
Morrisville, Vermont
.
He
studied law
in the
Morristown, Vermont
office of attorney Samuel A. Willard and was
admitted to the bar
in December 1836.
Poland was also active in politics as an opponent of slavery, initially as a
Democrat
, and in 1848 was the party's unsuccessful nominee for
lieutenant governor
.
[6]
He later became a member of the
Free Soil Party
.
He became a
Republican
when the party was founded in the mid-1850s and maintained that affiliation for the rest of his life.
[8]
Career
[
edit
]
He practiced in
Morrisville
.
Poland was registrar of
probate
from 1839 to 1840 and was a member of the State
constitutional
convention of 1843.
[9]
In 1844 and 1845 he was the
state's attorney
of
Lamoille County
,
and in 1848 he succeeded
Charles Davis
as an associate justice of the
Vermont Supreme Court
, a position in which he served until 1849.
[11]
In 1850, Poland moved to
St. Johnsbury, Vermont
.
From 1850 to 1857, he served as a judge of the Vermont Circuit Court.
He served as an associate justice again from 1857 to 1860, succeeding
Pierpoint Isham
.
In 1860, he succeeded
Isaac F. Redfield
as chief justice; he served until 1865, and was succeeded by
John Pierpoint
.
On October 24, 1865 Poland was to the U.S. Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the death of
Jacob Collamer
, and he served from November 21, 1865 to March 3, 1867.
He was then elected to the House of Representatives for the
40th
and the three succeeding Congresses, serving from March 4, 1867 to March 3, 1875.
[14]
While in the U.S. House, he was chairman of the Committee on Revisal and Unfinished Business (40th Congress) and a member of the Committee on Revision of the Laws (40th,
41st
, and
43rd
Congresses).
He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection to the
44th Congress
in 1874.
After leaving the House, Poland continued to practice law in St. Johnsbury.
In 1878, he was elected to a term in the
Vermont House of Representatives
, where he was appointed chairman of the Judiciary Committee.
Poland was also a trustee of the
University of Vermont
and president of the First National Bank of St. Johnsbury.
In 1882, Poland was again elected to the U.S. House.
He served one term (
48th Congress
, March 4, 1883 to March 3, 1885).
He was not a candidate for renomination in 1884 and resumed practicing law in St. Johnsbury.
Death and burial
[
edit
]
In retirement, Poland resided in Waterville, where he had purchased and renovated the home of his father-in-law.
In 1886, he was elected to represent Waterville in the Vermont House, and was again selected to chair the Judiciary Committee.
He died in Waterville on July 2, 1887.
Poland was buried at Mount Pleasant Cemetery in St. Johnsbury.
[16]
Awards
[
edit
]
In 1858, the
University of Vermont
(UVM) awarded Poland the
honorary degree
of
Master of Arts
.
In 1861, UVM awarded him an honorary
LL.D.
Family
[
edit
]
In 1838, Poland married Martha Smith Page and they had three children.
Martha died in 1853 and he married her sister, Adelia Henrietta.
With his first wife, Poland's children included: Susan E. (1840?1841); Martin Luther (1841?1878), a
West Point
graduate and
captain
in the
United States Army
who died while on duty at
Fort Yuma
on the
California
-
Arizona
border; Mary Frances (1843?1865); and Isabel Emma (1848?1927), the wife of first Andrew E. Rankin, and then Henry O. Cushman.
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Pruden, William.
"Poland Committee"
. Encyclopedia of Arkansas
. Retrieved
2024-02-05
.
- ^
Ross, Jonathan
(1887). Child, Hamilton (ed.).
Gazetteer of Caledonia and Essex Counties, Vt. 1764-1887
. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse Journal Company. p. 73 – via
Google Books
.
- ^
"Democratic Nominations"
.
Bennington Gazette
. East bennington, VT. August 9, 1848. p. 2 – via
Newspapers.com
.
- ^
"Hon. Luke Potter Poland"
.
Bennington Banner
. Bennington, VT. July 7, 1887. p. 2 – via
Newspapers.com
.
- ^
Brown, John Howard, ed. (1903).
Lamb's Biographical Dictionary of the United States
. Vol. VI. Boston, MA: Federal Book Company. p. 287 – via
Google Books
.
- ^
Porter, Charles W.
(1886).
Vermont Legislative Directory
. Boston, MA: Rand, Avery, & Company. pp. 199?200 – via
Google Books
.
- ^
Lanman, Charles (1887).
Biographical Annals of the Civil Government of the United States
. New York, NY: J. M. Morrison. p. 398 – via
Google Books
.
- ^
Joint Committee On Printing, United States Congress (1928).
Biographical Directory of the American Congress. 1774-1927
. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 1419 – via
Google Books
.
External links
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