Lieutenant Stephen Thomas Name John Page Preceded by Paul Dillingham Role American Politician | Preceded by Henry M. Bates Party Republican Party Political party Republican Succeeded by Peter T. Washburn | |
Born February 25, 1826
Rutland, Vermont ( 1826-02-25 ) Spouse(s) Mary Ann Reynolds, Harriett Ellen Smith Profession businessman / banker / politician Died October 24, 1885, Rutland City, Vermont, United States | ||
John Boardman Page (February 25, 1826 – October 24, 1885) was an American politician and the 30th Governor of Vermont from 1867 to 1869.
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Biography
Page was born in Rutland, Vermont, to William and Cynthia Hickok Page and educated in the public schools. He married Mary Ann Reynolds with whom he had four children. With his second wife, Harriett Ellen Smith, he had five children.
Career
At age 16 Page began working at the National Bank of Rutland, where his father was cashier, and he rose to become its president. He was also president of the Rutland Railroad, vice president of the Central Vermont Railroad, and Director of the Champlain Transportation Company and the Caughnawauga Ship Canal Project.
A partner in the Brandon Manufacturing Company (producer of Howe Scales), Page was also a partner in the Sutherland Falls Marble Company, which was later acquired by the Vermont Marble Company. Page was a member of the Vermont House of Representatives from 1852 to 1854.
Page was appointed by President Abraham Lincoln as Allotment Commissioner during the American Civil War, responsible for visiting Vermont soldiers in the field, collecting money from their pay, and distributing it in Vermont to support their families. He served as Vermont State Treasurer from 1860 to 1866.
Page was elected Governor of Vermont in 1867, and served from 1867 to 1869. Afterwards he returned to his business pursuits. He served in the Vermont House of Representatives again for one term in 1880.
Page was the defendant in a nationally publicized 1885 lawsuit the Rutland Railroad brought in an attempt to recover $125,000 ($4 million in 2008) which it said Page had defrauded the company of while he was its president. Though he initially received unfavorable public opinion, sentiment turned to Page's favor as evidence was presented in a trial that lasted more than four months. The proceedings ended with Page's vindication.
Death
Page died in Rutland shortly afterwards, on October 24, 1885, and is interred at Evergreen Cemetery, Rutland, Vermont.