Ryland Fletcher

Ryland Fletcher (born February 18, 1799 in Cavendish , Windsor County , Vermont , † December 19, 1885 in Proctorville , Vermont) was an American politician and governor of the state of Vermont from 1856 to 1858 .

Early years and political advancement

Ryland Fletcher grew up on his father's farm. He attended Norwich University in Northfield . In the winter months he then taught at the local elementary school and in the summer worked on his parents' farm. He joined the Vermont Militia at the age of 18. In their ranks he rose to Brigadier General until he left in 1836 .

Fletcher became a member of the Whig Party . He was a staunch opponent of slavery and was a proponent of a ban on alcohol. In the 1850s he then joined the newly formed Republican Party . After serving as State Senator for a few years , he was elected the new lieutenant governor of his state in 1854, still a candidate for the Whigs . A year later he was re-elected as a Republican.

Vermont governor

In 1856 he was elected the new governor of his state. After a re-election in 1857 he could remain in this office between October 10, 1856 and October 10, 1858. He reformed the militia, which had not carried out regular maneuvers or muster since the end of the Mexican-American War . Fletcher’s reforms prepared the militia for their use in the coming civil war . The State House , destroyed by fire in 1857 , was rebuilt. Even as governor, Fletcher supported the northern position in the national conflict between the northern and southern states . For Vermont, he campaigned for two-year governors' terms.

Another résumé

Between 1861 and 1864 Fletcher was an MP in the Vermont House of Representatives . In 1864 he was one of the electors for Abraham Lincoln . In 1870 he was a member of a meeting to revise the Vermont state constitution. Ryland Fletcher was married to Mary May, with whom he had three children, including their son Henry , who would later also become Lieutenant Governor of Vermont. Ryland's brother Richard was an MP for Massachusetts in the US House of Representatives from 1837 to 1839 . Another brother named Horace was a State Senator in Vermont.

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personal data
SURNAME	Fletcher, Ryland
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	American politician
DATE OF BIRTH	February 18, 1799
PLACE OF BIRTH	Cavendish , Vermont
DATE OF DEATH	December 19, 1885
Place of death	Proctorville , Vermont