Roswell M. Austin

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Roswell M. Austin
Austin as a member of the Board of Contract Appeals, circa 1945
Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives
In office
1925–1927
Preceded byOrlando L. Martin
Succeeded byLoren R. Pierce
Member of the Vermont House of Representatives
In office
1925–1927
Preceded byGeorge N. Bliss
Succeeded byPatrick E. Sullivan
ConstituencySt. Albans City
Personal details
Born(1887-09-23)September 23, 1887
Highgate, Vermont, U.S.
DiedFebruary 1, 1966(1966-02-01) (aged 78)
New Bern, North Carolina
Political partyRepublican
SpouseKatherine Mussey Sewall (m. 1911)
Children3
RelativesWarren R. Austin (brother)
EducationYale College
OccupationAttorney
Military service
ServiceUnited States Army
Years of service1942–1945
RankLieutenant Colonel
UnitArmed Services Board of Contract Appeals
WarsWorld War II
AwardsLegion of Merit

Roswell Mears Austin (September 23, 1887 – February 1, 1966) was a Vermont politician and attorney who served as Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives.

Early life[edit]

Roswell Mears Austin was born in Highgate, Vermont on September 23, 1887, a son of attorney Chauncey Goodrich Austin and Anne (Robinson) Austin.[1] Austin graduated from St. Albans High School in 1905 and Phillips Andover Academy in 1906.[1] He attended Yale College from 1906 to 1910, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree.[2] He then studied law with his father, was admitted to the bar, and began to practice with his father in St. Albans City.[1]

Early career[edit]

Austin as First Assistant Clerk of the Vermont House, 1919

A Republican, Austin was Assistant Clerk of the Vermont House of Representatives from 1915 to 1920 and Clerk from 1921 to 1925.[3]

In 1924 Austin was elected to represent St. Albans City in the Vermont House of Representatives.[4] He served one term, 1925 to 1927, and was Speaker of the House.[5]

Austin later became involved in several businesses, and was a longtime executive of the American Granite Association.[6][7]

Later career[edit]

In 1942, Austin entered the United States Army as a major and was assigned to the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals.[8] He served until 1945 and was promoted to lieutenant colonel during the war and continued to serve on the board throughout the 1940s and 1950s, including service as the board's president.[9][10] Austin received the Legion of Merit in recognition of his contract appeals board work during World War II.[9]

As a result of contract appeals board service, Austin was involved in the investigation of President Dwight Eisenhower's Chief of Staff, Sherman Adams when Adams was accused of using his influence on behalf of favored contractors in exchange for gifts.[11][12][13]

Austin died in New Bern, North Carolina on February 1, 1966.[14] He was cremated in Durham, North Carolina.[15]

Family[edit]

In 1911, Austin married Katherine Mussey Sewall in Worcester, Massachusetts.[16] She died in 1948, and they were the parents of three children.[14]

Roswell Auston was the brother of United States Senator Warren R. Austin.[17]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Bigelow, Walter J. (1919). Vermont, Its Government. Montpelier, VT: Historical Publishing Company. p. 138 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ Yale University (1910). Catalogue of the Officers and Graduates of Yale University. New Haven, VT: Tuttle, Morehouse & Taylor. p. 238 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ Sharp, James Roger; Sharp, Nancy Weatherly, eds. (2000). American Legislative Leaders in the Northeast, 1911–1994. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. pp. 50–51. ISBN 978-0-3130-3208-0 – via Google Books.
  4. ^ "La Follette Runs Close to Davis In City Election". St. Albans Messenger. St. Albans, VT. November 6, 1924. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "State of Vermont Speakers of the House" (PDF). legislature.vermont.gov. Montpelier, VT: Clerk of the Vermont House of Representatives. November 3, 2022.
  6. ^ "World War II Draft Registration Cards, Entry for Roswell Mears Austin". Ancestry.com. Lehi, UT: Ancestry.com, LLC. April 27, 1942. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  7. ^ ""Everlasting" Granite Name Is Justified". Barre Daily Times. Barre, VT. September 1, 1942. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Commissioned: Roswell M. Austin". The Burlington Free Press. Burlington, VT. September 4, 1942. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ a b "Col. Austin Is Presented High Award". St. Albans Messenger. St. Albans, VT. November 24, 1945. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ Austin, Roswell M. (1953). Digest of the Decisions of the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals. Vol. 2–4. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. p. vi – via Google Books.
  11. ^ "New Charges on Adams are Weighed". Bennington Banner. Bennington, VT. Associated Press. July 21, 1958. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Weeks on Adams: 'Cruelly Smeared'". Daily News. New York, NY. July 22, 1958. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Probers Start Testimony on Adams' Role". The Portsmouth Herald. Portsmouth, NH. Associated Press. July 22, 1958. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ a b "Death Notice, Roswell M. Austin". St. Albans Messenger. St. Albans, VT. May 13, 1966. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "North Carolina Death Certificates, 1909-1976, Entry for Roswell Mears Austin". Ancestry.com. Lehi, UT: Ancestry.com LLC. February 2, 1966. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  16. ^ "Vermont Man Groom". Rutland Herald. Rutland, VT. April 21, 1911. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "Senator Austin's Mother Dies". The New York Times. New York, NY. June 13, 1941. p. 19 – via TimesMachine.
Political offices
Preceded by Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives
1925–1927 		Succeeded by
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