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Nelson W. Fisk

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Nelson W. Fisk
From the February 1901 edition of The Vermonter magazine
Lieutenant Governor of Vermont
In office
1896–1898
Preceded byZophar M. Mansur
Succeeded byHenry C. Bates
Member of the Vermont Senate from Grand Isle County
In office
1888–1890
Preceded byJerome P. Hall
Succeeded byHardy L. Reynolds
Member of the Vermont House of Representatives from Isle La Motte
In office
1882–1888
Preceded byJames Hurst
Succeeded byEdgar S. Fleury
Personal details
Born(1854-08-05)August 5, 1854
Isle La Motte, Vermont, U.S.
DiedOctober 1, 1923(1923-10-01) (aged 69)
Isle La Motte, Vermont, U.S.
Resting placeSouth Cemetery, Isla La Motte, Vermont
SpouseElizabeth B. Hubbell (m. 1880)
EducationEastman Business College
OccupationBusinessman

Nelson Wilbur Fisk (August 5, 1854 – October 1, 1923) was a Vermont businessman and political figure who served as the 41st lieutenant governor of Vermont from 1896 to 1898.

Biography

Nelson Wilbur Fisk was born in Isle La Motte, Vermont on August 5, 1854. He graduated from Eastman Business College in Poughkeepsie, New York and was employed at his family's marble quarry, becoming sole proprietor after his father Hiram's death in 1884.[1][2][3] Fisk married Elizabeth B. Hubbell of Chazy, New York in 1880. Mrs. Fisk became an expert in textile weaving and dyeing, and her wall hangings, placemats and tablecloths are prized by collectors.[4][5][6]

A Republican, Fisk was a member of the Vermont House of Representatives from 1882 to 1888 and the Vermont Senate from 1888 to 1890. As a legislator he played a key role in the construction of three Grand Isle bridges, including the first one to connect it with the Vermont mainland at Alburg.[7][8] He served as a Trustee of the State Normal School (now Johnson State College), the State Industrial School in Vergennes (then Vermont's reform institution for juveniles) and the University of Vermont. He was also a Delegate to the 1888 and 1892 Republican national conventions. In 1896 he was elected Lieutenant Governor and served one term, 1896 to 1898.[9]

In 1901, Vice President Theodore Roosevelt was visiting with Fisk and other Vermont Republicans at Fisk's home when Roosevelt was informed that President William McKinley had been shot. (McKinley died eight days later and Roosevelt became president.)[10][11][12]

Fisk died in Isle La Motte on October 1, 1923, and was buried in Isle La Motte's South Cemetery.[13][14] The Fisk quarry on Isle La Motte's West Shore Road has been turned into an environmental interpretive site that is open to the public.[3]

References

  1. ^ Jeffrey, William Hartley (1907). Successful Vermonters: A Modern Gazetteer of Lamoille, Franklin and Grand Isle Counties. The Historical publishing company. pp. 432–36.
  2. ^ Vermont Secretary of State (1882). Joint Rules, Rules and Orders of the Senate and House of Representatives. J. & J.M. Poland, Steam Book and Job Printers. p. 147.
  3. ^ a b Liloia, Tara (2009). Lake Champlain Islands. Arcadia Publishing. p. 58. ISBN 978-0-7385-6211-7.
  4. ^ Dodge, Prentiss Cutler (1912). Encyclopedia of Vermont Biography. Ullery publishing company. p. 190.
  5. ^ Atwood, Betty (1968). "Elizabeth Fisk, Vermont Weaver". Handweaver and Craftsman. 19–20: 18–19.
  6. ^ Eaton, Allen Hendershott (1949). Handicrafts of New England. Harper. pp. 87–88, 119.
  7. ^ Vermont Secretary of State (1915). Vermont Legislative Directory. Rand, Avery. p. 546.
  8. ^ Who's Who in New England, published by A. N. Marquis & Co., Chicago, Volume 1, 1909, page 365
  9. ^ Lawrence Barinerd 2nd (February 1901). "Vermont Men of Today". The Vermonter Magazine: 73–75.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  10. ^ Duffy, John J.; Hand, Samuel B.; Orth, Ralph H. (2003). The Vermont Encyclopedia. UPNE. p. 126. ISBN 1-58465-086-9.
  11. ^ Grondahl, Paul (2007). I Rose Like a Rocket: The Political Education of Theodore Roosevelt. U of Nebraska Press. pp. 367–68. ISBN 978-0-8032-5987-4.
  12. ^ Crockett, Walter Hill (1921). Vermont: The Green Mountain State. Vol. 4. The Century history company, inc. pp. 350–51.
  13. ^ Vermont Death Records, 1909–2008, Record for Nelson Wilbur Fisk, accessed December 24, 2011
  14. ^ Newspaper article, Nelson W. Fisk Dies, New York Times, October 3, 1923
Party political offices
Preceded by Republican nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Vermont
1896
Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Lieutenant Governor of Vermont
1896–1898
Succeeded by