Redfield Proctor Jr. (April 13, 1879 – February 5, 1957) was an American business executive and politician who served as the 59th governor of Vermont from 1923 to 1925.
Life and career The son of Emily Jane (née Dutton) and Redfield Proctor, a United States Senator from Vermont, Proctor Jr. was born in Proctor, Vermont, on April 13, 1879.Vermont Secretary of State, Vermont Legislative Directory, 1917, page 512 He received a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1902 and was employed as an executive at the Vermont Marble Company, his family's business.John J. Duffy, Samuel B. Hand, Ralph H. Orth, The Vermont Encyclopedia, 2003, page 242 He rose to the position of vice president of the company and served as president of the Proctor Trust Company. He married Mary Sherwood Hedrick and they had three children.
Proctor was also prominent in other businesses and trade groups, including serving as president of the Clarendon and Pittsford Railroad, and serving on the board of directors of Boston's Shawmut Bank, the National Association of Manufacturers and the United States Chamber of Commerce.Vermont Department of Banking and Insurance, Annual Report of the Bank Commissioner of the State of Vermont, 1921, page 167Moody's Investors Service, Moody's Industrial Manual, 1917, page 842Associated Press, Redfield Proctor, Former Vermont Governor, Dies, Lewiston Journal, February 5, 1957
Proctor was involved in several civic activities, including serving as a member of the Vermont Sanitarium Board of Trustees, and as a Trustee of Middlebury College, Vassar College and the University of Vermont.American Medical Association, Journal of the American Medical Association, Volume 46, Issues 14-26, 1906, page 1121Underwood & Underwood, Photo and Caption, Redfield Proctor Jr., Trustee, 1918-1957, Digital Collections at Middlebury College, accessed July 13, 2013Bennington Banner, Gov. Proctor Dead at 77, February 6, 1957 He served as a selectman for the Town of Proctor before winning election to the Vermont House of Representatives, where he served from 1912 to 1917, and the Vermont State Senate where he served from 1917 to 1919. Proctor was a delegate to the 1920 Republican National Convention.National Governors Association, Biography, Redfield Proctor Jr., accessed July 13, 2012
Proctor enlisted in the United States Army for World War I, was commissioned as a captain of Engineers, and received his initial training at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Proctor was stationed at Washington Barracks, where he served as supply officer for the 322nd Engineer Regiment. He remained in the Army Reserve after the war and attained the rank of colonel as commander of the 322nd Engineers, which was a unit of the Reserve's 97th Division.Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Technology Review, Volume 19, 1917, page 796American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Journal of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Volume 40, 1918, page 1071Society of American Military Engineers, The Military engineer, Volume 18, 1926, page 79
In 1922 he was elected Governor and he served from 1923 to 1925. His term was marked by success at modernizing Vermont's state government, including authorizing the executive branch to employ a budget director and propose the state budget, and enabling the Governor to remove commissioners and department heads.New York Times, Redfield Proctor Seeks Nomination for Governor of Vermont, April 17, 1922New York Times, Redfield Proctor, Ex-Vermont Governor and Chairman of Marble Company, Dies, February 6, 1957, Obituary, Redfield Proctor Jr., February 6, 1957
After his term Proctor returned to Vermont Marble, serving as its president until retiring and becoming chairman of the board of directors in 1952,Cathy Miglorie Vermont Marble Museum, Marble Minutes: Changing of the Guard, March 4th, 2011 a position in which he served until his death in Proctor on February 5, 1957.Vermont Death Records, 1909-2008, entry for Redfield Proctor, accessed July 13, 2012 He was buried at South Street Cemetery in Proctor.
Family In addition to being the son of Redfield Proctor, Proctor Jr. was the brother of Governor Fletcher D. Proctor, and the uncle of Governor Mortimer R. Proctor.Samuel B. Hand, The Star That Set: The Vermont Republican Party, 1854-1974, 2003, page 113Congressional Quarterly, American leaders, 1789-1994, 1994, page 465
References
External links
The Political Graveyard National Governors Association