Silas H. Hodges
Encyclopedia
Silas H. Hodges was a Vermont
attorney, clergyman and politician who served as State Auditor and Commissioner of the U.S. Patent Office.
and was educated at Brandon Academy. He graduated from Middlebury College in 1821, studied law in Rutland, Vermont attained admission to the bar, and practiced in Rutland until 1832.
Hodges began study at Auburn Theological Seminary
in 1833 and received his ordination as a minister in the Congregational church
in 1835. He was pastor of several churches in southern Vermont until 1841, after which he resumed practicing law in Rutland.
From 1840 to 1860 Hodges served on the Middlebury College Board of Trustees.
In 1845 Hodges was elected State Auditor, serving until 1850.
From 1852 to 1853 Hodges served as United States Commissioner of Patents.
In 1861 Hodges was named Chief Examiner at the U.S. Patent Office, a position he held until his death.
In 1865 Hodges testified during the trial of the Lincoln Assassination conspirators, giving evidence supporting Marcus P. Norton's reputation for veracity. Norton had testified that in March, 1865 a man he later recognized as Samuel Mudd
had burst into his room at the National Hotel. Norton claimed the man apologized, saying that he thought the room belonged to a man named Booth. John Wilkes Booth
had actually rented the room directly above Norton's. A pre-assassination connection, if proved, would undercut Mudd's claim not to have known who Booth was when he set Booth's broken leg after Booth shot Lincoln.
Hodges died in Washington, D.C., and he was buried in Rutland's Evergreen Cemetery.
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...
attorney, clergyman and politician who served as State Auditor and Commissioner of the U.S. Patent Office.
Biography
Silas Henry Hodges was born in Clarendon, VermontClarendon, Vermont
Clarendon is a town in Rutland County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,571 at the 2010 census. Clarendon spans U.S. Route 7 and is split by the highway, the Cold River and Mill River, Otter Creek, and the Green Mountains into the villages of Clarendon, West Clarendon, East Clarendon,...
and was educated at Brandon Academy. He graduated from Middlebury College in 1821, studied law in Rutland, Vermont attained admission to the bar, and practiced in Rutland until 1832.
Hodges began study at Auburn Theological Seminary
Auburn Theological Seminary
Auburn Theological Seminary was founded in 1818. Auburn Theological Seminary focuses on religious leadership development, movement-building, and research. Auburn is based in New York City and exists in covenant with the Presbyterian Church ....
in 1833 and received his ordination as a minister in the Congregational church
Congregational church
Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
in 1835. He was pastor of several churches in southern Vermont until 1841, after which he resumed practicing law in Rutland.
From 1840 to 1860 Hodges served on the Middlebury College Board of Trustees.
In 1845 Hodges was elected State Auditor, serving until 1850.
From 1852 to 1853 Hodges served as United States Commissioner of Patents.
In 1861 Hodges was named Chief Examiner at the U.S. Patent Office, a position he held until his death.
In 1865 Hodges testified during the trial of the Lincoln Assassination conspirators, giving evidence supporting Marcus P. Norton's reputation for veracity. Norton had testified that in March, 1865 a man he later recognized as Samuel Mudd
Samuel Mudd
Samuel Alexander Mudd I, M.D. was an American physician who was convicted and imprisoned for aiding and conspiring with John Wilkes Booth in the 1865 assassination of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln. He was pardoned by President Andrew Johnson and released from prison in 1869...
had burst into his room at the National Hotel. Norton claimed the man apologized, saying that he thought the room belonged to a man named Booth. John Wilkes Booth
John Wilkes Booth
John Wilkes Booth was an American stage actor who assassinated President Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre, in Washington, D.C., on April 14, 1865. Booth was a member of the prominent 19th century Booth theatrical family from Maryland and, by the 1860s, was a well-known actor...
had actually rented the room directly above Norton's. A pre-assassination connection, if proved, would undercut Mudd's claim not to have known who Booth was when he set Booth's broken leg after Booth shot Lincoln.
Hodges died in Washington, D.C., and he was buried in Rutland's Evergreen Cemetery.