James M. Hotchkiss

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James M. Hotchkiss (May 27, 1812 - May 7, 1877) was a Vermont farmer, businessman, and politician. He served in the Vermont House of Representatives and Vermont Senate, and was chosen to serve as the Senate's President pro tem.

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Biography

James Madison Hotchkiss was born in Georgia, Vermont on May 27, 1812, the son of James Hotchkiss and Alice (Story) Hotchkiss. [1] He was educated in Georgia, and in 1832 he purchased a farm in Fairfax in partnership with his brother Hiram. [1] They operated the farm for several years, after which James Hotchkiss established himself as a merchant in Fairfax. [1] He later moved to Waterville, where he continued his mercantile career, and returned to Fairfax after 20 years as a Waterville resident. [1]

Hotchkiss was involved in politics as an advocate of abolishing slavery, and as the abolition movement grew and coalesced, he moved successively from the Opposition [2] Party to the Free Soil Party [3] to the Republican Party. [4] He represented Waterville in the Vermont House of Representatives in the early 1850s, [2] [3] and served as one of the assistant judges of Lamoille County from 1851 to 1853. [5] Hotchkiss served in the Vermont Senate from 1856 to 1857, and was chosen to serve as the Senate's President pro tem in 1856. [6]

During the American Civil War, Hotchkiss supported the Union. [7] During and immediately after the conflict, he took part in political conventions of the Unionist Party, which aimed to fuse Republicans and pro-Union Democrats in support of the war effort and Reconstruction measures that were less severe than those proposed by Radical Republican movement. [7]

After returning to Fairfax, Hotchkiss remained active in politics as a delegate to numerous Republican conventions, [8] and in local offices including Town Meeting Moderator. [9] He was involved in managing his business interests until 1874, after which he lived in retirement in Fairfax. [1]

Death and burial

Hotchkiss died in Fairfax on May 7, 1877. [1] He was buried at Sanderson Corners Cemetery in Fairfax.

Family

In 1835, Hotchkiss married Mariel Story. [10] She died in 1851, and later that year he married Harriet Horsford of Cambridge. [11] With his first wife, Hotchkiss was the father of two children, Hiram J. (1841-1851) [12] and James M. Jr. (1842-1863). [13] Another son, also named Hiram, was born in 1837 and died sometime before 1841. [14]

Hotchkiss' brother Cyrus was a member of the Vermont Senate, and his nephew Cephas served in the Vermont House of Representatives. [1]

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Preceded by President pro tempore of the Vermont State Senate
1856		Succeeded by
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