Portus Baxter

Portus Baxter

Portus Baxter (born December 4, 1806 in Brownington , Vermont , † March 4, 1868 in Washington, DC ) was an American politician . Between 1861 and 1867 he represented the third constituency of the state of Vermont in the US House of Representatives .

Career

Portus Baxter attended his homeland public schools and the Norwich Military Academy . He then studied at the University of Vermont . In 1828 he moved to Derby Line in Vermont. There he became a successful businessman and farmer. He also got into the railroad business.

Politically, Baxter became a member of the Whig Party . In 1848 and 1852 he was the elector for his party in the presidential elections. He voted in 1848 for the victorious Zachary Taylor and in 1852 for the unsuccessful Winfield Scott . After the dissolution of the Whigs, Baxter became a member of the Republican Party, founded in 1854 . In 1856 he was their elector in the presidential election. He voted for John C. Frémont , the candidate of his new party, who was defeated by James Buchanan .

In 1860, Baxter was elected to the US House of Representatives in Washington in the third district of Vermont. There he took over from Homer Elihu Royce on March 4, 1861 . After two re-elections, he was able to complete three legislative terms in Congress by March 3, 1867 , which were mainly determined by the events of the civil war . From 1863 to 1865, Baxter chaired the Department of Navy's Expenditure Control Committee . He was a friend and confidante of Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton . Baxter campaigned for the Vermont soldiers during the war and often visited the wounded in the hospitals.

Portus Baxter survived the end of his time in Congress by almost exactly a year: he died on March 4, 1868 in Washington. He was married to Ellen Janette Harris (1811-1882) since 1832. The couple had eight children. Two sons served as military doctors during the Civil War, and another son served with the rank of Brevet Major in the Union Army.

Web links

• Portus Baxter in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)

• Portus Baxter in the database of Find a Grave (English)