Winston L. Prouty
Encyclopedia
Winston Lewis Prouty was a United States
Representative and Senator from Vermont.
Winston Lewis Prouty was born in Newport, Vermont
, to Willard Robert Prouty and Margaret (née Lockhart) Prouty. The Prouty family owned and operated Prouty & Miller, a lumber and building materials company, with forests east of the Mississippi and in Canada. His uncle, George H. Prouty
, served as governor of Vermont from 1908 until 1910.
in Pottstown
, Pennsylvania
and Yale College
. Prouty had to leave Yale in his junior year for family reasons but returned to college graduating from Lafayette College
in 1930. While attending Lafayette College he joined the Delta Upsilon
Fraternity.
Prouty was the mayor of Newport from 1938 to 1941. He was a member of the Vermont house of representatives in 1941, 1945, 1947; he served as speaker in 1947.
At the time, the normal path of advancement for an upwardly mobile politician in Vermont was: Speaker of the House, State Senator, President Pro Tem of the Senate, Lt. Governor, Governor for two terms, US Representative, culminating with US Senator. A politician who attempted to usurp this process did so at his peril. Prouty did just that in 1948 by skipping the state senate entirely, and running for Lieutenant-Governor. He lost the nomination to conservative Republican Harold J. Arthur
, the incumbent President Pro Tem of the Vermont Senate, back when the general election was a formality. This turned out to be a serendipitous loss.
His liberal ally and mentor, Governor Ernest W. Gibson, Jr.
, appointed him Chair of Vermont State Water Conservation Board where he served from 1948 to 1950.
In 1950, Governor Gibson accepted an appointment as US District Judge. Under the state constitution, the vacancy was automatically filled by Arthur. That same year, Vermont Representative to Congress, Charles Plumley
, decided not to run for re-election. Prouty's most formidable rival, Arthur, was effectively sidelined, running the state. Prouty decided to run for the vacant seat. He was successful.
He was elected as a Republican
to the Eighty-second Congress; re-elected to the three succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1951-January 3, 1959); was not a candidate for renomination in 1958; elected to the United States Senate in 1958; reelected in 1964 and 1970 and served from January 3, 1959, until his death; died in Boston, Massachusetts; interment in Pine Grove Cemetery, Newport, Vermont.
He was eulogized by President Richard Nixon
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Representative and Senator from Vermont.
Winston Lewis Prouty was born in Newport, Vermont
Newport (city), Vermont
Newport is a city in and the shire town of Orleans County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 5,005. The city contains the largest population of any government in the county, yet encompasses the smallest area....
, to Willard Robert Prouty and Margaret (née Lockhart) Prouty. The Prouty family owned and operated Prouty & Miller, a lumber and building materials company, with forests east of the Mississippi and in Canada. His uncle, George H. Prouty
George H. Prouty
George Herbert Prouty of Newport, Orleans County, Vermont was a Republican member of the Vermont House of Representatives, 1896–97; member of Vermont Senate, 1904; the 44th Lieutenant Governor of Vermont, 1906–08; the 52nd Governor of Vermont, 1908–10; delegate to Republican National Convention...
, served as governor of Vermont from 1908 until 1910.
Education
Winston Prouty attended The Hill SchoolThe Hill School
The Hill School is a preparatory boarding school for boys and girls located in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, about 35 miles northwest of Philadelphia....
in Pottstown
Pottstown, Pennsylvania
Pottstown is a borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States northwest of Philadelphia and southeast of Reading, on the Schuylkill River. Pottstown was laid out in 1752–53 and named Pottsgrove in honor of its founder, John Potts. The old name was abandoned at the time of the...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
and Yale College
Yale College
Yale College was the official name of Yale University from 1718 to 1887. The name now refers to the undergraduate part of the university. Each undergraduate student is assigned to one of 12 residential colleges.-Residential colleges:...
. Prouty had to leave Yale in his junior year for family reasons but returned to college graduating from Lafayette College
Lafayette College
Lafayette College is a private coeducational liberal arts and engineering college located in Easton, Pennsylvania, USA. The school, founded in 1826 by James Madison Porter,son of General Andrew Porter of Norristown and citizens of Easton, first began holding classes in 1832...
in 1930. While attending Lafayette College he joined the Delta Upsilon
Delta Upsilon
Delta Upsilon is the sixth oldest international, all-male, college Greek-letter organization, and is the oldest non-secret fraternity in North America...
Fraternity.
Career
He became an officer and director of Prouty & Miller.Prouty was the mayor of Newport from 1938 to 1941. He was a member of the Vermont house of representatives in 1941, 1945, 1947; he served as speaker in 1947.
At the time, the normal path of advancement for an upwardly mobile politician in Vermont was: Speaker of the House, State Senator, President Pro Tem of the Senate, Lt. Governor, Governor for two terms, US Representative, culminating with US Senator. A politician who attempted to usurp this process did so at his peril. Prouty did just that in 1948 by skipping the state senate entirely, and running for Lieutenant-Governor. He lost the nomination to conservative Republican Harold J. Arthur
Harold J. Arthur
Harold John Arthur was the 68th Governor of Vermont from 1950 to 1951. He also served as the 62nd Lieutenant Governor of Vermont from 1949 to 1950....
, the incumbent President Pro Tem of the Vermont Senate, back when the general election was a formality. This turned out to be a serendipitous loss.
His liberal ally and mentor, Governor Ernest W. Gibson, Jr.
Ernest W. Gibson, Jr.
Ernest William Gibson, Jr. was the 67th Governor of Vermont, a United States Senator and a U.S. federal judge. He was the son of Vermont Senator Ernest W...
, appointed him Chair of Vermont State Water Conservation Board where he served from 1948 to 1950.
In 1950, Governor Gibson accepted an appointment as US District Judge. Under the state constitution, the vacancy was automatically filled by Arthur. That same year, Vermont Representative to Congress, Charles Plumley
Charles Albert Plumley
Charles Albert Plumley was a Republican U.S. Representative from Vermont, son of the U.S. Representative Frank Plumley....
, decided not to run for re-election. Prouty's most formidable rival, Arthur, was effectively sidelined, running the state. Prouty decided to run for the vacant seat. He was successful.
He was elected as a Republican
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...
to the Eighty-second Congress; re-elected to the three succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1951-January 3, 1959); was not a candidate for renomination in 1958; elected to the United States Senate in 1958; reelected in 1964 and 1970 and served from January 3, 1959, until his death; died in Boston, Massachusetts; interment in Pine Grove Cemetery, Newport, Vermont.
He was eulogized by President Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
.