Farrand Stewart Stranahan (February 2, 1842 - July 13, 1904) was an American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

 veteran, a railroad executive, a banker, and a U.S. politician

Politician

A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...

 of the Republican Party

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

.

Early life

Farrand Stewart Stranaham, was born in New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

, the son of Farrand Stewart Stranahan (1812-1845) and Caroline (Curtis) Stranahan. New York State Senator Farrand Stranahan

Farrand Stranahan

This article is about the New York State Senator; for his grandson, the Lt. Gov. of Vermont see Farrand S. StranahanFarrand Stranahan was an American lawyer and politician from New York-Life:He was the son of John Stranahan and Lucy Stranahan...

 (1778-1826) was his grandfather, and General Charles Stewart (1729–1800) was his great-grandfather.

In 1859, Stranahan removed to Vermont

Vermont

Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...

.

Civil War

Stranahan enlisted August 15, 1862, and mustered in as 1st Sergenat, Company L, 1st Vermont Cavalry on September 29, 1862. He was commissioned 2nd Lieutenant on January 18, 1864, to rank from January 5, and 1st lieutenant on May 5, 1864, to rank from February 28. For several months he was aide-de-camp to General George A. Custer. He resigned from the service on August 28, 1864.

1st Sergeant Stranaham, listed as a key member of the 1st Vermont Cavalry who participated in Brigadier General Elon J. Farnsworth

Elon J. Farnsworth

Elon John Farnsworth was a Union Army cavalry general in the American Civil War, killed at the Battle of Gettysburg.-Early life and career:...

's charge at Gettysburg

Battle of Gettysburg

The Battle of Gettysburg , was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac...

 on July 3, 1863, is depicted on the bronze bas-relief of the charge on the William Wells

William Wells (general)

-Medal of Honor:Wells commanded the Second Battalion, 1st Vermont Cavalry, in the repulse of Stuart's Cavalry at the Battle of Hanover during the Gettysburg Campaign...

 Monument between Big Round Top

Big Round Top

Big Round Top is a boulder-strewn hill notable as the topographic high point of the Gettysburg Battlefield and for 1863 American Civil War engagements for which Medals of Honor were awarded...

 and Bushman's Hill.

On the afternoon of October 19, 1864, then northern-most land event of the Civil War occurred, the St. Albans Raid

St. Albans raid

The St. Albans Raid was the northernmost land action of the American Civil War, taking place in St. Albans, Vermont on October 19, 1864.-Background:In this unusual incident, Bennett H. Young led Confederate States Army forces...

. Stranahan participated in the pursuit of the fleeing Confederates after they had robbed several banks and wounded two citizens, one mortally.

Postwar life

Stranahan became paymaster on the Vermont Central Railroad in 1865. Between 1867 and 1871, he conducted business in St. Albans, and in 1871 was appointed treasurer of the National Car Company, a position he held until at least 1903. In 1886 he became cashier of the Welden National Bank of St. Albans, and was appointed its vice president in 1892. He was also a director of the Central Vermont Railroad, vice president of the Missisquoi railroad, an officer in the National Dispatch Line, and vice president of the St. Albans Messenger Company.

Stranahan's fraternal associations include the Grand Army of the Republic

Grand Army of the Republic

The Grand Army of the Republic was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army, US Navy, US Marines and US Revenue Cutter Service who served in the American Civil War. Founded in 1866 in Decatur, Illinois, it was dissolved in 1956 when its last member died...

 and the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States

Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States

The Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States, also known by its acronym MOLLUS or simply as the Loyal Legion, is a United States patriotic order, organized April 15, 1865, by officers of the Army, Navy, or Marine Corps of the United States who "had aided in maintaining the honor,...

.

Stanahan was a Republican in politics and as a representative of that party served as trustee of the village of St. Albans

St. Albans, Vermont

Places named St. Albans, Vermont:*St. Albans , Vermont, town in Franklin County, Vermont, established in 1763**St. Albans Raid, 1864*St. Albans , Vermont, city in Franklin County, Vermont, established in 1902...

 and represented the town in 1884. Four years later he was elected to the state senate, and was trustee of the state reform school from 1888 to 1892.
In 1892 he was elected the 37th Lieutenant Governor of the state of Vermont.

On August 26, 1862, Mr. Stranahan married to Miss Miranda Aldis, daughter of Hon. Lawrence Brainerd

Lawrence Brainerd

Lawrence Brainerd was a businessman, abolitionist and United States Senator from Vermont. He was the father of Anne Eliza Brainerd Smith and the father-in-law of Vermont Governor J. Gregory Smith....

and Fidelia Gadcomb.