Zophar M. Mansur
Encyclopedia
Zophar Mack Mansur was an American Civil War veteran, a banker, and a politician, the 38th Lieutenant Governor of Vermont.
, the son of Warren and Jane A. (Morse) Mansur. He received his early education at the Derby, Vermont
, Academy.
on September 1, 1862. He participated with his regiment in the Battle of the Wilderness
, Spotsylvania
, North Anna
, Cold Harbor
, Petersburg
, Monocacy Junction and 3rd Winchester
. He was wounded at Winchester on September 19, 1864, losing his right arm. He was subsequently medically discharged on August 31, 1865.
He served as postmaster in Island Pond, Vermont
, from February 1867 to November 1885. He also studied law from 1870 to 1875, and was admitted to the Vermont Bar in 1875. He practiced law until 1892, then turned to the lumber business until 1897.
He was also director and later president of the National Bank of Derby Line
, from 1885 to after 1905.
A Republican by political persuasion, he was state's attorney of Essex County
in 1886. He was also elected representative of the town of Brighton
in the Vermont General Assembly
in 1886, serving on the judiciary committee on military affairs. In 1888 he represented Essex County as state senator. He served as lieutenant governor under Urban A. Woodbury
, from 1894 to 1896, and was appointed Collector of Customs for the Memphremagog District by President Benjamin Harrison
, serving in that capacity until 1906.
He was a trustee of the Vermont Soldiers' Home in Brattleboro from its creation in 1884, and a trustee of the University of Vermont.
Fraternal organizations he was active in included the Sons of the American Revolution
, Vermont Officers' Reunion Society
, Grand Army of the Republic
, and Freemasonry
.
Early life
Mansur was born in Morgan, VermontMorgan, Vermont
Morgan is the easternmost town in Orleans County, Vermont, United States. The population was 669 at the 2000 census. The town contains two villages: Morgan and Morgan Center.-History:The town was named for John Morgan, a landholder....
, the son of Warren and Jane A. (Morse) Mansur. He received his early education at the Derby, Vermont
Derby, Vermont
Derby is a town in Orleans County, Vermont, United States. The population was 4,604 at the 2000 census. The town contains four unincorporated villages: Beebe Plain, Clyde Pond, Lake Salem and North Derby; and two incorporated villages: Derby Center and Derby Line...
, Academy.
Civil War
He enlisted August 11, 1862, and mustered in as corporal in Company K, 10th Vermont Infantry10th Vermont Infantry
The 10th Vermont Infantry was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:The 10th Vermont Infantry was organized at Brattleboro, Vermont and mustered in for three years service on September 1, 1862 under the command of Colonel Albert Burton Jewett.The regiment...
on September 1, 1862. He participated with his regiment in the Battle of the Wilderness
Battle of the Wilderness
The Battle of the Wilderness, fought May 5–7, 1864, was the first battle of Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Virginia Overland Campaign against Gen. Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. Both armies suffered heavy casualties, a harbinger of a bloody war of attrition by...
, Spotsylvania
Battle of Spotsylvania Court House
The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, sometimes simply referred to as the Battle of Spotsylvania , was the second major battle in Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Overland Campaign of the American Civil War. Following the bloody but inconclusive Battle of the Wilderness, Grant's army disengaged...
, North Anna
Battle of North Anna
The Battle of North Anna was fought May 23–26, 1864, as part of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's Overland Campaign against Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. It consisted of a series of small actions near the North Anna River in central Virginia, rather than a...
, Cold Harbor
Battle of Cold Harbor
The Battle of Cold Harbor was fought from May 31 to June 12, 1864 . It was one of the final battles of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's Overland Campaign during the American Civil War, and is remembered as one of American history's bloodiest, most lopsided battles...
, Petersburg
Siege of Petersburg
The Richmond–Petersburg Campaign was a series of battles around Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865, during the American Civil War...
, Monocacy Junction and 3rd Winchester
Battle of Opequon
The Battle of Opequon, more commonly known as the Third Battle of Winchester, was fought in Winchester, Virginia, on September 19, 1864, during the Valley Campaigns of 1864 in the American Civil War....
. He was wounded at Winchester on September 19, 1864, losing his right arm. He was subsequently medically discharged on August 31, 1865.
Postwar life
He married, in 1867, Ellen L. Newhill.He served as postmaster in Island Pond, Vermont
Island Pond, Vermont
Island Pond is a census-designated place in the town of Brighton in Essex County, Vermont, United States. The population was 849 at the 2000 census...
, from February 1867 to November 1885. He also studied law from 1870 to 1875, and was admitted to the Vermont Bar in 1875. He practiced law until 1892, then turned to the lumber business until 1897.
He was also director and later president of the National Bank of Derby Line
Derby Line, Vermont
Derby Line is an incorporated village in the town of Derby in Orleans County, Vermont, United States, slightly north of the 45th parallel, the normal U.S.-Canadian boundary...
, from 1885 to after 1905.
A Republican by political persuasion, he was state's attorney of Essex County
Essex County, Vermont
Essex County is the county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Vermont. As of 2010, the population was 6,306, making it the least-populous county in both Vermont and New England...
in 1886. He was also elected representative of the town of Brighton
Brighton, Vermont
Brighton is a town in Essex County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,260 at the 2000 census. The town was named Gilead in its original grant in 1780. The town was sold to a group consisting primarily of soldiers commanded by Colonel Joseph Nightingale and subsequently named Random. The...
in the Vermont General Assembly
Vermont General Assembly
The Vermont General Assembly is the legislative body of the U.S. state of Vermont. The Legislature is formally known as the "General Assembly," but the style of "Legislature" is commonly used, including by the body itself...
in 1886, serving on the judiciary committee on military affairs. In 1888 he represented Essex County as state senator. He served as lieutenant governor under Urban A. Woodbury
Urban A. Woodbury
Urban Andrain Woodbury was an American Civil War veteran, an entrepreneur and a U.S. politician of the Republican Party. Served as the 45th governor of Vermont.-Prewar life:...
, from 1894 to 1896, and was appointed Collector of Customs for the Memphremagog District by President Benjamin Harrison
Benjamin Harrison
Benjamin Harrison was the 23rd President of the United States . Harrison, a grandson of President William Henry Harrison, was born in North Bend, Ohio, and moved to Indianapolis, Indiana at age 21, eventually becoming a prominent politician there...
, serving in that capacity until 1906.
He was a trustee of the Vermont Soldiers' Home in Brattleboro from its creation in 1884, and a trustee of the University of Vermont.
Fraternal organizations he was active in included the Sons of the American Revolution
Sons of the American Revolution
The National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution is a Louisville, Kentucky-based fraternal organization in the United States...
, Vermont Officers' Reunion Society
Reunion Society of Vermont Officers
The Reunion Society of Vermont Officers was an organization of American Civil War veterans.-Founding:The Society was founded in 1864 by Union veterans from Vermont. Its original organizers included Redfield Proctor, George G. Benedict, and Wheelock G...
, 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 Freemasonry
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
.