History of Royalton, (Windsor County) Vermont United States of America

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Biographies:

Frederick Billings, lawyer, was born at Royalton, Vt., Sept. 27, 1823; son of Oel and Sophia (Wetherbe) Billings. When he was quite young his parents removed to Woodstock. He attended the Kimball union academy and was graduated from the University of Vermont in the class of 1844. From 1846 to 1848 he served as secretary of civil and military affairs to Governor Eaten. He was admitted to the bar in 1848, and soon after accompanied a brother-in-law to San Francisco. While they were in New York, waiting for a steamer to the Isthmus of Panama, news came of the discovery of gold in California, and young Billings was the first lawyer to display his sign in the embryo city of San Francisco. On his passage out Mr. Billings met Archibald C. Peachy, a young lawyer from Virginia, and soon after their arrival in San Francisco they formed a partnership as Peachy & Billings. Later Lieut. Henry Wager Halleck was taken into the partnership, and also Trenor W. Park of Vermont, and for many years Halleck, Peachy, Billings & Park were the leading law firm of San Francisco. Mr. Billings at the outbreak of the war did signal service in preventing the secession of the state, and the legislature of California, by resolution, requested President Johnson to give him a cabinet position. He was among the founders of the College of California, and in 1866 was urged to take its presidency. He returned east and settled at Woodstock, where he made his estate the most beautiful home in Vermont. Mr. Billings was one of the first to encourage the building of an overland railroad to California, and his counsel was sought by congressional committees investigating the subject. He became an active participant in building the Northern Pacific railroad and rendered valuable service in reorganizing the road after the failure of Jay Cooke in 1873. He was for some years president of the company and organized the land department of the road. He retired from the presidency in 1881, but continued in the board of directors for some years. He was one of the original promoters of the enterprise to build a ship-canal across the isthmus by the way of Lake Nicaragua, and was chairman of the executive committee of the Maritime canal company of Nicaragua, and a director in the construction company. He was also a director in the Farmers' loan and trust company, the American exchange bank, the Delaware and Hudson canal company, and the Manhattan life insurance company of New York, and of the Rutland (Vermont) Valley, Connecticut river and Passumpsic railroads; a trustee of the Presbyterian hospital, trustee of the brick church, Fifth avenue, N.Y., a member of the New York chamber of commerce and of various clubs, including the Union league, Century, Lawyers' and Down Town association. Mr. Billings' gifts to the University of Vermont amounted to a quarter of a million dollars, and included the Billings library building, with an endowment fund of $50,000, and the library of G. P. Marsh, consisting of about 12,000 volumes. He also gave $50,000 to D. L. Moody's Mount Hermon school for boys, in memory of his son Ehrick, and $50,000 to Amherst college to endow a professorship in memory of his son Parmly, who was graduated there. He was married in 1862 to Julia, daughter of Dr. Eleazar Parmly, of New York city. Mr. Billings died at Woodstock, Vt.. Sept. 30, 1890.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

Dudley Chase Denison, representative, was born in Royalton, Vt., Sept. 13, 1819; son of Joseph A. and Rachel (Chase) Denison; grandson of James and Eunice (Stanton) Denison, and of Dudley and Allace (Corbett) Chase; and a descendant of Col. George Denison, who was the son of William Denison who emigrated from England in 1631 and settled in Roxbury, Mass. Dudley C. was graduated from the University of Vermont in 1840 and was admitted to the bar in 1845. He established himself in practice in his native town and in 1871 took his oldest son, Joseph D., as a partner. He was a senator in the state legislature, 1853-54; state attorney, 1858-60; and represented Royalton in the state legislature, 1861-63. In 1864 he was appointed United States district attorney for the Vermont district, by President Lincoln, holding his office until 1869 and meeting the difficulties growing out of the Fenian raid with tact and skill. He was a representative in the 44th and 45th congresses, 1875-79. He was married, Dec. 22, 1846, to Eunice, daughter of Joseph Dunbar of Hartland, Vt.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

Charles Durkee, senator, was born in Royalton, Vt., Dec. 5, 1807. He was educated at the Burlington academy and became a merchant. He removed to Wisconsin, where he was one of the first settlers of Southport (afterward Kenosha), on Lake Michigan. He was a representative in the first territorial legislative assembly that convened at Belmont, Iowa county, October 25, and adjourned, Dec. 9, 1836, and to the second session held at Burlington, Des Moines county, Nov. 6, 1837, and adjourned, Jan. 20, 1838; also at the special session held at Burlington, June 11-25, 1838. He was a Free-soil representative from the Milwaukee district in the 31st and 32d congresses, 1849-53; U.S. senator, 1855-61; and delegate to the peace congress of 1861. He was appointed by President Johnson governor of Utah in 1865, resigning in 1868 on account of ill health. He became interested in the building of the Union Pacific and the Central Pacific railroads and headed a syndicate that purchased $64,623,512 of new "paramount" bonds. After Mr. Durkee died these bonds could not be found and his family were unable to recover the property, although the bonds were recovered in 1884 and were turned into the U.S. treasury, whence they again disappeared immediately after Secretary Folger, who had acknowledged their ownership by the Durkee heirs, resigned. The heirs then brought suit against the United States to recover $20,000,000, the amount which they claimed the government had collected from the Union Pacific railway, and the suit was before the U.S. court of claims in 1899. Mr. Durkee died in Omaha, Neb., Jan. 14, 1870.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor