Individual Details
George Herbert "Bertie" Prouty
(4 Mar 1862 - 19 Aug 1918)
George Herbert Prouty (March 4, 1862 – August 19, 1918) of Newport, Orleans County, Vermont was a Republican member of the Vermont House of Representatives, 1896-97; member of Vermont Senate, 1904; Lieutenant Governor of Vermont, 1906-08; Governor of Vermont, 1908-10; delegate to Republican National Convention from Vermont, 1916. Prouty was also the grandfather of Senator Winston L. Prouty. ("Prouty, George H." Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_H._Prouty. April 2008)
Prouty, George Herbert, fifty-second governor of Vermont (1908-10), was born at Newport, Vt., Mar. 4, 1862, son of John Azro and Hannah (Lamb) Prouty, and grandson of Arnold and Mary (Adams) Prouty, who were among the earliest settlers of Newport and played a very important part in the development and growth of that place. Young Prouty spent his early boyhood in Newport, where he attended the public schools and high school. He then entered St. Johnsbury Academy and later attended the Bryant & Statton Business College at Boston. At the age of eighteen years he entered the employ of his father, who, with O.C. Miller, was engaged in the lumber business. He started at the bottom of the ladder and so mastered all the details of the business that in 1885 he was made a member of the firm. This same concern is to-day one of the largest lumber companies in northern New England, owing large plants in Canada and Maine, besides the mills at Newport. Since his entrance into the firm the annual output has increased manyfold, a growth due largely to Mr. Prouty's advanced business methods which, while following the conservative line laid out by his parent in the fundamentals, has yielded to the modern ideas in practice. Mr. Prouty took an early interest in the political affairs of his state, and in 1896 he was elected to the state legislature by one of the largest votes ever given in town. His service in the position resulted in his nomination in 1904 for senator from Orleans county by a unanimous convention, and he was further honored by being chosen president pro tem of that body. In the three-cornered contest for the office of lieutenant-governor in the state convention of 1906 he was victorious, and his conduct in that office won for him many friends and resulted in his nomination for governor after a somewhat strenuous campaign. He was elected in 1908 by a majority of 29,645, which is much larger than that usually given to the head of the Republican state ticket in a presidential year. In the affairs of his town and community Gov. Prouty has taken a lively interest at all times. He has done much toward the commercial and aesthetic development of the place, and in church and philanthropic work he has played a prominent part. He attends the Newport Congregational Church and sings in the quartet choir. He was chief of the fire department of Newport, and none was quicker to answer the alarm than he (White, 448).
Prouty, George Herbert, governor' b. Newport, Vt., Mar. 4, 1862: ed. Newport High Sch., St. Johnsbury Acad. and Bryant & Stratton Business Coll., Boston: (LLD, Middlebury Coll., and Norwich U., Rockville, Conn., Dec 1 1890): m. Henrietta Allen, of Rockville, Conn., Dec. 1, 1890. Early became connected with lumber business established by his father, and became mgr. Mem. Vt. Ho. of Rep. 1896, 1897; water commr., 1897-08; mem. Vt. Senate, 1904 (pres. pro tem.); lt.-gov. of Vt., 1907, 1908; gov. of Vt. 1908-10. Republican. Conglist. Address: Newport, Vt.
Prouty, George Herbert, fifty-second governor of Vermont (1908-10), was born at Newport, Vt., Mar. 4, 1862, son of John Azro and Hannah (Lamb) Prouty, and grandson of Arnold and Mary (Adams) Prouty, who were among the earliest settlers of Newport and played a very important part in the development and growth of that place. Young Prouty spent his early boyhood in Newport, where he attended the public schools and high school. He then entered St. Johnsbury Academy and later attended the Bryant & Statton Business College at Boston. At the age of eighteen years he entered the employ of his father, who, with O.C. Miller, was engaged in the lumber business. He started at the bottom of the ladder and so mastered all the details of the business that in 1885 he was made a member of the firm. This same concern is to-day one of the largest lumber companies in northern New England, owing large plants in Canada and Maine, besides the mills at Newport. Since his entrance into the firm the annual output has increased manyfold, a growth due largely to Mr. Prouty's advanced business methods which, while following the conservative line laid out by his parent in the fundamentals, has yielded to the modern ideas in practice. Mr. Prouty took an early interest in the political affairs of his state, and in 1896 he was elected to the state legislature by one of the largest votes ever given in town. His service in the position resulted in his nomination in 1904 for senator from Orleans county by a unanimous convention, and he was further honored by being chosen president pro tem of that body. In the three-cornered contest for the office of lieutenant-governor in the state convention of 1906 he was victorious, and his conduct in that office won for him many friends and resulted in his nomination for governor after a somewhat strenuous campaign. He was elected in 1908 by a majority of 29,645, which is much larger than that usually given to the head of the Republican state ticket in a presidential year. In the affairs of his town and community Gov. Prouty has taken a lively interest at all times. He has done much toward the commercial and aesthetic development of the place, and in church and philanthropic work he has played a prominent part. He attends the Newport Congregational Church and sings in the quartet choir. He was chief of the fire department of Newport, and none was quicker to answer the alarm than he (White, 448).
Prouty, George Herbert, governor' b. Newport, Vt., Mar. 4, 1862: ed. Newport High Sch., St. Johnsbury Acad. and Bryant & Stratton Business Coll., Boston: (LLD, Middlebury Coll., and Norwich U., Rockville, Conn., Dec 1 1890): m. Henrietta Allen, of Rockville, Conn., Dec. 1, 1890. Early became connected with lumber business established by his father, and became mgr. Mem. Vt. Ho. of Rep. 1896, 1897; water commr., 1897-08; mem. Vt. Senate, 1904 (pres. pro tem.); lt.-gov. of Vt., 1907, 1908; gov. of Vt. 1908-10. Republican. Conglist. Address: Newport, Vt.
Events
| Birth | 4 Mar 1862 | Newport, Orleans, Vermont, United States |  | ||
| Marriage | 1 Dec 1890 | Henrietta "Nettie" Allen | |||
| Census (family) | 1900 | Newport, Orleans, Vermont, United States - Henrietta "Nettie" Allen |  | ||
| Death | 19 Aug 1918 | | |
Families
| Spouse | Henrietta "Nettie" Allen (1866 - 1929) |
| Father | John Azro Prouty (1826 - 1900) |
| Mother | Hannah Barker Lamb (1833 - 1865) |
| Sibling | Charles Arzo Prouty (1853 - 1921) |
| Sibling | Nellie B. Prouty (1855 - ) |
| Sibling | Harley H. Prouty (1857 - ) |
| Sibling | Edgar J Prouty (1859 - 1870) |
Notes
Census (family)
Geo A Prouty Head M 38 Mar 1862, Vermont VT VT, Lumber Mfr.Henrietta Prouty Wife F 34 Apr 1866 Connecticut CT CT
Willard R Prouty Brother M 27 Dec 1872 Vermont VT VT Lumber Mfr
Edgar J Prouty Brother M 29 Dec 1870 Vermont VT VT Lumber Mfr
Death
Ex-Gov. G. H. Prouty KilledVermont Man's Auto Hit by a Train in Dense Fog.
Sherbrooke, Quebec, Aug. 19. - G. H. Prouty, formerly Governor of Vermont, was killed when an automobile in which he was riding was struck by a Grand Trunk train near Waterville today.
Mr. Prouty was on his way from Newport, Vt., to take a train at Lennoxville for Jackman, Me., when the chauffeur failed to observe the approaching engine, owing to a dense fog. Mr. Prouty was instantly killed. The chauffeur, J.W. Blay, was taken to the Sherbrooke Hospital, suffering from concussion of the brain.
_
NEWPORT, Vt., Aug 19. - Former Gov. Prouty, who was killed near Waterville, P.Q., today, had left his home here to go to the Moosehead Lake region in Maine. Mr. Prouty was manager of a large lumber business. He had served in both branches of the Vermont Legislature and as Lieutenant Governor, and was Governor from 1908 to 1910.
Endnotes
1. James Terry White, The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography: Being the History of the United States... (New York: James T. White & Company, 1910), p 448-449.
2. Death of G. H. Prouty article, Ex-Gov. G.H. Prouty Killed, The New York Times, August 20 1918, http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9902E7D61739E13ABC4851DFBE668383609EDE.