Elliot M. Sutton | |
---|---|
![]() From 1903's Vermont, A Souvenir of its Government, 1902-1903 | |
Member of the Vermont Senate from Chittenden County | |
In office October 1, 1902 – October 5, 1904 Serving with Chauncey W. Brownell, Charles J. Russell | |
Preceded by | William H. H. Varney, Rufus E. Brown, William J. Fuller |
Succeeded by | Calvin S. Isham, Charles S. Ashley |
Mayor of Burlington, Vermont | |
In office April 4, 1898 – April 3, 1899 | |
Preceded by | Hamilton S. Peck |
Succeeded by | Robert Roberts |
President of the Burlington, Vermont Board of Aldermen | |
In office April 4, 1887 – April 2, 1888 | |
Preceded by | E. J. Booth |
Succeeded by | E. J. Booth |
Member of the Burlington, Vermont Board of Aldermen | |
In office April 5, 1886 – April 2, 1888 | |
Preceded by | J. W. Goodell |
Succeeded by | J. W. Goodell |
Constituency | Ward 5 |
In office April 6, 1874 – April 3, 1876 | |
Preceded by | G. S. Appleton (from South Ward) |
Succeeded by | E. R. Hard |
Constituency | Ward 5 |
Personal details | |
Born | Oxford, Connecticut | October 13, 1841
Died | March 5, 1908 Johnson, Vermont | (aged 66)
Resting place | Lakeview Cemetery, Burlington, Vermont |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse(s) | Martha O'Brien (m. 1863-1884, div.) Hattie L. (Ballou) Hurlburt (m. 1886-1907, div.) |
Children | 1 |
Profession | Businessman |
Elliot M. Sutton (October 13, 1841 - March 5, 1908) was a Vermont businessman and politician. A Democrat, among the offices in which he served was mayor of Burlington (1898-1899) and member of the Vermont Senate (1902-1904).
Early life
[edit]Elliot M. Sutton (sometimes spelled "Elliott" and frequently abbreviated E. M. Sutton) was born in Oxford, Connecticut, on October 13, 1841.[1] His family moved to Burlington, Vermont in 1850, and Sutton was educated in the public schools of Burlington and Burlington High School.[1]
Sutton was working as a photographer when he registered for the Union Army draft during the American Civil War.[2][a] In 1864, he moved to South Carolina, where he purchased a plantation and lived for a year.[3]
By 1865, Sutton had returned to Burlington, where he owned and operated a restaurant, the City Coffee House.[4][5] He was later involved in several other business ventures, including owning apartments and commercial buildings, working as a real estate broker, and operating a lumber dealership.[6][7] He also took part in civic activities, including joining the volunteer fire department's Hook and Ladder Company Number 1, of which he served as auditor.[8] Sutton later sponsored another fire company, which was christened E. M. Sutton Hose Company in his honor.[9]
Anti-prohibition activist
[edit]Sutton was both a supporter of the Temperance movement and an opponent of Prohibition.[10] He was investigated on several occasions for violating Vermont's law prohibiting the sale and consumption of alcohol.[10] In August 1867, the city constable searched his home and confiscated three pints of whiskey.[11] Sutton defended himself in a trial before the city recorder and won a dismissal of the charges and return of his liquor.[11]
In January 1869, he was found guilty on four counts of selling liquor at the City Coffee House, and paid an $80 fine.[12] In February 1869, he was convicted of one count, and fined $20.[13] In May 1869, he was again charged for violating the law, and the charges were dismissed.[14] In October 1869, he once again faced charges for selling alcohol at his restaurant.[15] He pleaded guilty and was fined $20.[15]
In August 1873, law enforcement officers searched his home in the early morning hours and discovered a workman leaving the premises with two jugs of liquor.[16] Upon entering Sutton's basement, they found him packing bottles of whiskey for transport and observed him emptying a washtub and another container.[16] Police seized bottles and other supplies and equipment.[16] In January 1874, police again searched Sutton's home, but found nothing incriminating.[17]
In 1882, Sutton paid a $50 fine after pleading guilty to five counts of illegally selling liquor.[18] In 1889, a search of his barn uncovered a secret tunnel with a concealed entrance in the cellar, which led to a hidden storage room.[19] Authorities discovered several containers of high wines, as well as bottles, coloring, flavoring, and other ingredients, all of which they seized.[19] As Vermont began to market itself as a tourist destination, the prohibition on alcohol sales was subject to lax enforcement.[20] For example, by the 1890s Urban A. Woodbury, the owner of Burlington's Van Ness House hotel, was openly serving alcohol.[20]
Political career
[edit]Early activity
[edit]Sutton developed an interest in worker's rights.[21] He was a member of Burlington's first Workingmen's Union, and served as its president.[21] In September 1867 he was appointed to a committee that attempted to enlarge the organization, first to the rest of Chittenden County, and then statewide.[22]
In the 1860s, Sutton became active in local politics and government as a Democrat, and took part in several of the party's local and state nominating caucuses and conventions.[23][24][25] He also served for several years as chairman of the Burlington and Chittenden County Democratic Committees.[26][27]
In 1874, Sutton was nominated for alderman from Burlington's fifth ward.[28] He won the March election with 212 votes to 170 for Republican candidate S. M. Pope.[29] He was nominated for reelection to a two-year term in 1876.[30] In the general election, Republican E. R. Hard won with 205 votes to 202 for Sutton.[31] He ran again in 1877, and was defeated by Archibald Taylor, 217 to 183.[32]
In 1884, Sutton was again a candidate for alderman, and lost to Republican J. W. Goodell, 235 to 214.[33] In March 1886, he was elected again to the board of aldermen, receiving 292 votes to 191 for J. W. Goodell.[34] In September 1886, Sutton was an unsuccessful candidate for the Vermont Senate, placing fourth in the race for three at-large seats.[35]
In March 1887, Sutton was an unsuccessful candidate for mayor, losing to Republican William W. Henry by a vote of 1084 to 769.[36] In April 1887, he was elected president of the board of aldermen.[37] He completed his term as alderman and board president in April 1888.[38] In 1890, Sutton was the Democratic nominee for mayor and lost to William A. Crombie, 1041 votes to 817.[36] In April 1893, the board of aldermen elected Sutton as street commissioner and he served until May 1896.[39][40]
In June 1893, Sutton was appointed as U.S. Inspector of Chinese Immigration for Vermont, a position created as part of the Geary Act.[41] He succeeded John Halstead and was based in Richford, near the Canadian border.[41] He served until June 1897, when the position was discontinued.[42]
Mayor of Burlington
[edit]Sutton was the Democratic nominee for mayor in March 1898, and defeated Republican Hamilton S. Peck by a vote of 1351 to 1312.[43] His term was marked by a contentious relationship with Burlington's Republicans, who opposed many of his initiatives, including suing to prevent the police chief Sutton appointed from assuming his duties.[44] Sutton's appointment was overturned and the previous chief resumed serving.[44] In March 1899, Sutton was defeated for reelection by Republican Robert Roberts, 1491 to 1464.[45]
Later in 1899, Sutton spoke publicly in opposition to the court decision concerning the chief of police, and was indicted for defaming the Vermont Supreme Court.[46] His appeals against the indictment were overruled in 1901 and the case was remanded for trial.[47] Motions and appeals kept the case active until March 1904, when the State's Attorney of Washington County declined to prosecute and the charge was dismissed.[48]
State Senate
[edit]In 1902, Sutton was one of the Democratic nominees for Chittenden County's three at-large seats in the Vermont Senate.[49] In the September general election, Democrats in Chittenden County were aided by the anti-establishment Republican supporters of Percival W. Clement and succeeded in electing Sutton, who was the third-place finisher.[49][50] He served one term, October 1902 to October 1904.[51] Sutton was a member of the committees on elections and railroads, and chairman of the committee on printing. He was not a candidate for reelection.[52]
Death and burial
[edit]In the last three years of his life, Sutton was often in ill health and was cared for by his daughter.[1] He died at her home in Johnson, Vermont on March 5, 1908.[1] Sutton was buried at Lakeview Cemetery in Burlington.[53]
Family
[edit]In 1863, he married Martha O'Brien of Burlington.[54] Sutton paid a $7 fine in early 1882 after pleading guilty to assaulting her.[55] She sued for divorce on the grounds of intolerable cruelty, won her case in late 1882 and received both a divorce and the right to resume using her maiden name.[56] In 1886, Sutton married Hattie L. (Ballou) Hurlburt of Worcester, Massachusetts.[57] They were married until September 1907, when Elliot Sutton obtained a divorce on the grounds of desertion.[58]
In January 1884, Sutton had a daughter, Inez, with Alice Guyette.[59][60] Inez May Sutton (1884-1916) graduated from Edmunds High School in 1902 and became a teacher.[59] In 1905, she married Dr. Lyndhurst P. Holcomb of Johnson.[59] They were the parents of a son, Harold (1906-1976).[59][61]
Notes
[edit]- ^ Obituaries and some other biographical sources indicate that Sutton served in the Union Army, but provide no pertinent details. A thorough search of relevant sources shows his name is not included in muster rolls, payrolls, pension records, or any other Civil War-era military documents.
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d "Death of E. M. Sutton".
- ^ "U.S. Civil War Draft Registrations Records".
- ^ "The Department of the South".
- ^ "Proceedings of the City Council".
- ^ "City Coffee House".
- ^ "Building -- E. M. Sutton".
- ^ Manual of the Legislature of Vermont, p. 88.
- ^ "Hook and Ladder Company".
- ^ "The Firemen's Parade".
- ^ a b "Choosing Delegates to the Temperance Convention".
- ^ a b "Every Man His Own Lawyer".
- ^ "City Court: E. M. Sutton".
- ^ "Justice Court: E. M. Sutton".
- ^ "Before Judge Shaw".
- ^ a b "Chittenden County Court: Elliot M. Sutton".
- ^ a b c "The Liquor Law".
- ^ "Search was Made".
- ^ "Domestic Secular News".
- ^ a b "Found at Last".
- ^ a b "1903: Regulating the Traffic in Intoxicating Liquor".
- ^ a b "Workingmen's Union".
- ^ "Workingmen's Union Working Committee".
- ^ "The Democrats of Chittenden County".
- ^ "Democratic Convention".
- ^ "Democratic Caucus".
- ^ "Chittenden County Democratic Town Committees".
- ^ "Chittenden County Democratic Convention".
- ^ "Lawrence Barnes for Mayor".
- ^ "The Results for Alderman".
- ^ "Democratic City Nominations".
- ^ "Sweeping Republican Victory".
- ^ "City Election: Ward Five".
- ^ "Our City Election was the Most Lively".
- ^ "Our City Election".
- ^ "The Vote for State Senators".
- ^ a b "City Election".
- ^ "Burlington's New City Government".
- ^ "The City Government".
- ^ "Election of City Officials: E. M. Sutton".
- ^ "Personal Mention: E. M. Sutton".
- ^ a b "E. M. Sutton Appointed Commissioner of Immigration".
- ^ "General Vermont News: E. M. Sutton".
- ^ "Sutton Triumphant".
- ^ a b "Smith Gets the Decision".
- ^ "City Elections".
- ^ "Indictment of Ex-Mayor Sutton".
- ^ "Case of E. M. Sutton was Remanded for Trial".
- ^ "Case Against E. M. Sutton Nol Prossed".
- ^ a b "The County Ticket" (1902).
- ^ "Fusion in Burlington".
- ^ Manual of the Legislature of Vermont, pp. 16–17.
- ^ "The County Ticket" (1904).
- ^ "The Late E. M. Sutton".
- ^ "Marriage Entry for Elliot M. Sutton and Martha O'Brien".
- ^ "Come to Grief".
- ^ "Sutton vs. Sutton".
- ^ "Marriages: E. M. Sutton and Hattie L. Hurlburt".
- ^ "Divorce E. M. Sutton".
- ^ a b c d "Death or Mrs. L. P. Holcomb".
- ^ "Marriage Entry for Inez M. Sutton and Lyndhurst P. Holcomb".
- ^ "Obituary, Howard Elliott Holcomb".
Sources
[edit]Newspapers
[edit]- "The Department of the South". Burlington Free Press. Burlington, VT. March 11, 1864. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Proceedings of the City Council". Burlington Daily Times. Burlington, VT. November 28, 1865. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
- "City Coffee House". Burlington Daily Times. Burlington, VT. January 19, 1866. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Every Man His Own Lawyer". Burlington Times. Burlington, VT. August 24, 1867. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Workingmen's Union Working Committee". Burlington Times. Burlington, VT. September 21, 1867. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Workingmen's Union". Burlington Sentinel. Burlington, VT. August 14, 1868. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
- "City Court: E. M. Sutton". Burlington Free Press. Burlington, VT. January 22, 1869. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Justice Court: E. M. Sutton". Burlington Free Press. Burlington, VT. February 19, 1869. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Choosing Delegates to the Temperance Convention". Burlington Free Press. Burlington, VT. February 25, 1869. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Before Judge Shaw". Burlington Free Press. Burlington, VT. May 4, 1869. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
- "The Democrats of Chittenden County". Burlington Free Press. Burlington, VT. June 30, 1869. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Chittenden County Court: Elliot M. Sutton". Burlington Free Press. Burlington, VT. October 4, 1869. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Democratic Convention". Argus and Patriot. Montpelier, VT. June 23, 1870. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Building -- E. M. Sutton". Burlington Free Press. Burlington, VT. October 8, 1870. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Hook and Ladder Company". Burlington Free Press. Burlington, VT. January 3, 1872. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
- "The Liquor Law". Burlington Free Press. Burlington, VT. August 12, 1873. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Search was Made". Burlington Free Press. Burlington, VT. January 13, 1874. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Lawrence Barnes for Mayor". Rutland Daily Globe. Rutland, VT. February 27, 1874. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
- "City Elections: The Results for Alderman". Burlington Free Press. Burlington, VT. March 4, 1874. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Democratic Caucus". Burlington Free Press. Burlington, VT. June 20, 1874. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Democratic City Nominations". Burlington Sentinel. Burlington, VT. February 23, 1876. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
- "City Election: Sweeping Republican Victory". Burlington Free Press. Burlington, VT. March 8, 1876. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
- "The Firemen's Parade". Burlington Free Press. Burlington, VT. October 6, 1876. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
- "City Election: Ward Five". Burlington Free Press. Burlington, VT. March 6, 1877. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Come to Grief". Burlington Free Press. Burlington, VT. March 29, 1882. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Domestic Secular News: E. M. Sutton". Vermont Chronicle. Bellows Falls, VT. April 7, 1882. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Chittenden County Court: Sutton vs. Sutton". Burlington Free Press. Burlington, VT. October 5, 1882. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Our City Election was the Most Lively We Have had in Some Years". Burlington Clipper. Burlington, VT. March 6, 1884. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Marriages: E. M. Sutton and Hattie L. Hurlburt". The Rural Vermonter. Montpelier, VT. May 28, 1886. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Our City Election". Burlington Free Press. Burlington, VT. March 3, 1886. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Chittenden County Democratic Town Committees". Burlington Independent. Burlington, VT. August 6, 1886. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
- "The Vote for State Senators". Burlington Clipper. Burlington, VT. September 23, 1886. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Burlington's New City Government". St. Albans Messenger. St. Albans, VT. April 5, 1887. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
- "The City Government". Burlington Free Press. Burlington, VT. April 3, 1888. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Chittenden County Democratic Convention". Burlington Independent. Burlington, VT. July 6, 1888. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Found at Last: E. M. Sutton's Hiden Cellar Discovered". Burlington Free Press. Burlington, VT. March 29, 1889. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
- "City Election". Burlington Independent. Burlington, VT. March 7, 1890. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Election of City Officials: E. M. Sutton". Burlington Free Press. Burlington, VT. April 4, 1893. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
- "E. M. Sutton Appointed Commissioner of Immigration". Burlington Free Press. Burlington, VT. June 9, 1893. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Personal Mention: E. M. Sutton". Burlington Free Press. Burlington, VT. May 2, 1896. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
- "General Vermont News: E. M. Sutton". The Vermont Sun. St. Albans, VT. June 5, 1897. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Sutton Triumphant". Burlington Free Press. Burlington, VT. March 2, 1898. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Smith Gets the Decision". Barre Evening Telegram. Barre, VT. January 26, 1899. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
- "City Elections". The Chelsea Herald. Randolph, VT. March 9, 1899. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Indictment of Ex-Mayor Sutton by Washington County Grand Jury". Burlington Free Press. Burlington, VT. October 10, 1899. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Case of E. M. Sutton was Remanded for Trial". Montpelier Evening Argus. Montpelier, VT. November 27, 1901. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Fusion in Burlington". The Boston Globe. Boston, MA. September 3, 1902. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
- "The County Ticket (1902)". Burlington Free Press. Burlington, VT. September 5, 1902. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Case Against E. M. Sutton Nol Prossed". Burlington Free Press. Burlington, VT. March 3, 1904. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
- "The County Ticket". Burlington Free Press. Burlington, VT. September 8, 1904. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Divorce E. M. Sutton". Burlington Daily News. Burlington, VT. September 29, 1907. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Death of E. M. Sutton". Burlington Daily News. Burlington, VT. March 5, 1908. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
- "The Late E. M. Sutton". Burlington Daily News. Burlington, VT. March 9, 1908. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Death or Mrs. L. P. Holcomb". Morrisville Messenger. Morrisville, VT. May 3, 1916. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Obituary, Howard Elliott Holcomb". Burlington Free Press. Burlington, VT. August 19, 1976. p. 2B – via Newspapers.com.
Internet
[edit]- "Vermont Vital Records, 1720-1908, Marriage Entry for Elliot M. Sutton and Martha O'Brien". Ancestry.com. Lehi, UT: Ancestry.com, LLC. May 7, 1863. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
- "U.S. Civil War Draft Registrations Records, 1863-1865, Entry for Elliot M. Sutton". Ancestry.com. Lehi, UT: Ancestry.com, LLC. May 31, 1863. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
- "Vermont Vital Records, 1720-1908, Marriage Entry for Inez M. Sutton and Lyndhurst P. Holcomb". Ancestry.com. Lehi, UT: Ancestry.com, LLC. May 27, 1905. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
- Vermont State Archives & Records Administration. "1903: Regulating the Traffic in Intoxicating Liquor". sos.vermont.gov. Montpelier, VT: Vermont Secretary of State. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
Books
[edit]- Manual of the Legislature of Vermont. Montpelier, VT: Vermont Secretary of State. 1902 – via Internet Archive.