Benjamin W. Dean

Benjamin W. Dean (January 26, 1827 – July 6, 1861) was a Vermont attorney and politician. He served in the Vermont House of Representatives and as Secretary of State of Vermont.

Biography[edit]

Benjamin Willey Dean was born in Manchester, Vermont on January 26, 1827, and was the son of Peter Werden Dean and Philinda (Willey) Dean.^[1] He attended Colby College,^[2] graduated from Dartmouth College in 1848,^[1] and received a master's degree from Dartmouth in 1851.^[2] Dean joined the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity while attending Colby.^[3] While at Dartmouth, he became a member of the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity.^[4]

Dean studied law with attorneys Abishai Stoddard of Grafton, and Charles J. Walker of Bellows Falls, and attended State and National Law School.^[1][5] He was admitted to the bar in 1852, and practiced in Elmira, New York before relocating to Vermont, where he practiced first in Bellows Falls, and then in Grafton.^[1]

An active participant in the Baptist church, Dean was a life member of the American Baptist Missionary Union.^[5][6][7]

A Republican, Dean served in local offices including register of probate for the Windham County district.^[5][8] In 1856 and 1857 he served in the Vermont House of Representatives.^[1][5] In 1857, Dean became Vermont's Secretary of State, and he served in this position until 1861.^[1]

Death and burial[edit]

Dean died in Grafton on July 6, 1861.^[1][5] According to news reports, he had been ill with lung hemorrhages in the weeks before his death, but appeared to be recovering.^[9] He died after unexpected and severe hemorrhages left him unable to breathe.^[5][9] Dean was buried at Grafton Village Cemetery in Grafton.^[10]

Family[edit]

In 1853, Dean married Fannie Angeline Cobb of South Windham.^[1][5] They were the parents of three daughters: Mary Emma (1853–1906), who was the wife of Chapin Howard (1852–1903);^[11][12] Harriet ("Hattie") (1856–1940), the wife of Dr. Arthur H. Tufts (1856–1931);^[12][13] and Lucy (1862–1942), the wife of Dr. Rollin E. Woodworth (1866–1932).^[12][14]

References[edit]

Sources[edit]

Books[edit]

• Alpha Delta Phi Society (1865). Catalogue of the Alpha Delta Phi Society, 1832-1865. New York, NY: Alpha Delta Phi Society. p. 194.
• Chapman, George T. (1867). Sketches of the Alumni of Dartmouth College. Cambridge, MA: Riverside Press. pp. 372–373.
• Colby College (1920). General Catalogue of Officers, Graduates and Former Students of Colby College. Waterville, ME: Colby College. p. 256.
• Delta Kappa Epsilon Fraternity (1900). Catalogue of the Delta Kappa Epsilon Fraternity. New York, NY: Council Publishing Company. p. 55.
• Deming, Leonard (1851). Catalogue of the Principal Officers of Vermont. Middlebury, VT: Leonard Deming. p. 215.
• Hayes, Lyman Simpson (1907). History of the Town of Rockingham, Vermont. Bellows Falls, VT: Town of Rockingham, Vermont. p. 189.
• Johnston, Elizabeth Bryant (1897). Lineage Book, National Society, Daughters of the American Revolution. Vol. IV. Harrisburg, PA: Harrisburg Publishing Company. p. 219.
• Kingsbury, George Washington (1915). South Dakota: Its History and Its People. Vol. IV. Chicago, IL: S. J. Clarke Publishing Company. p. 775.
• Worden, O. N. (1868). Some Records of Persons by the Name of Worden. Lewisburg, PA: Railway Press. pp. 126–127.

Newspapers[edit]

• "Sudden Death of Benjamin W. Dean". St. Albans Transcript. St. Albans, VT. July 15, 1864. p. 3.
• "Dr. R. E. Woodworth, 66, Sanator Superintendent for Past 21 Years, Dies". The Argus-Leader. Sioux Falls, SD. October 11, 1932. p. 2.

Internet[edit]

• McKenzie, Michelle (September 9, 2009). "Memorial, Benjamin W. Dean". Find A Grave. Provo, UT: Ancestry.com, LLC.
• Hixon, Meg (June 1, 2012). "Biography, Mary Dean Howard". Mary Dean and Chapin Howard Family Collection. Ann Arbor, MI: William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan.

Magazines[edit]

• "Life Members of the Missionary Union". Baptist Missionary Magazine. Boston, MA: American Baptist Missionary Union. July 1, 1852. p. 310.