{{Short description|American judge (1848–1921)}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Seneca Haselton | image = Seneca Haselton (Associate Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court).jpg | caption = From 1894's ''Men of Vermont Illustrated'' | office1 = Associate Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court | term_start1 = 1908 | term_end1 = 1919 | predecessor1 = James Manning Tyler | successor1 = Leighton P. Slack | term_start2 = 1902 | term_end2 = 1906 | predecessor2 = John W. Rowell | successor2 = None (Size of court reduced) | office3 = Chief Judge of the Vermont Superior Court | term_start3 = 1906 | term_end3 = 1908 | predecessor3 = Position created | successor3 = George M. Powers | office4 = U.S. Minister to Venezuela | term_start4 = 1894 | term_end4 = 1895 | appointer4 = Grover Cleveland | predecessor4 = Frank C. Partridge | successor4 = Allen Thomas | office5 = Mayor of Burlington, Vermont | term_start5 = 1891 | term_end5 = 1894 | predecessor5 = William A. Crombie | successor5 = William J. Van Patten | office6 = Member of the Vermont House of Representatives from Burlington | term_start6 = 1886 | term_end6 = 1887 | predecessor6 = Curtis A. Hibbard | successor6 = Henry Ballard | office7 = Judge of the Burlington, Vermont City Court | term_start7 = 1878 | term_end7 = 1886 | predecessor7 = Milton R. Tyler | successor7 = William H. Hare | birth_date = {{birth date|1848|02|26|mf=y}} | birth_place = Westford, Vermont, U.S. | death_date = {{death date and age|1921|07|21|1848|02|26|mf=y}} | death_place = Burlington, Vermont, U.S. | resting_place = Lakeview Cemetery,<br/>Burlington, Vermont | party = Democratic | alma_mater = University of Vermont<br/>University of Michigan Law School | spouse = | children = | profession = Lawyer }}
'''Seneca Haselton''' (February 26, 1848 – July 21, 1921) was a Vermont educator, attorney and politician. He is notable for his service as mayor of Burlington, Vermont (1891–1894), U.S. Minister to Venezuela (1894–1895), and an associate justice of the Vermont Supreme Court (1902–1906, 1908–1919).
A graduate of the University of Vermont and University of Michigan Law School, Haselton practiced law in Burlington beginning in 1875. A Democrat in an era when the Republicans controlled all facets of Vermont's statewide politics, Haselton found success at the local level, including terms as city court judge (1878–1886), member of the Vermont House of Representatives (1886–1887), and Burlington mayor (1891 to 1894). In 1894, Haselton was appointed U.S. Minister to Venezuela, and he served until 1895, when President Grover Cleveland requested his resignation as part of resolving a dispute between Haselton and the commander of the U.S. Navy's North Atlantic Squadron.
After serving as Reporter of Decisions for the Vermont Supreme Court (1900–1902), in 1902 he was appointed to the court as an associate justice. Haselton served until 1906, when the size of the Supreme Court was reduced. From 1906 to 1908, he served as Chief Judge of the newly created Vermont Superior Court. In what came to be a custom that lasted until the 1970s, the chief judge was chosen by seniority from the Superior Court judges, and advanced to the Supreme Court when a vacancy arose. In 1908, Haselton was reappointed to the Vermont Supreme Court. In December 1914, he was one of the justices who were not reappointed as part of a court reorganization plan; public outcry led to the plan being revoked in January 1915, and Haselton maintained his place as an associate justice until retiring in 1919.
Haselton never married or had children. He died in Burlington in 1921, and was buried at Lakeview Cemetery in Burlington.
==Early life== Seneca Haselton was born in Westford, Vermont on February 26, 1848, the son of Reverend Amos Haselton and Amelia (Frink) Haselton.{{sfn|''Genealogical and Family History of the State of Vermont''|pages=14-15}} He was educated in Jericho and Underhill,{{sfn|''Genealogical and Family History of the State of Vermont''|pages=14-15}} and attended academies in Underhill and Barre in preparation for enrollment at the University of Vermont.{{sfn|''Genealogical and Family History of the State of Vermont''|pages=14-15}} Haselton graduated from UVM with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1871, and received a Master of Arts degree in 1874.{{sfn|"Judge Haselton Dies at Age of 73"|page=8}} He taught school in several Vermont towns from 1871 to 1873, and was an instructor in mathematics at the University of Michigan while attending law school.{{sfn|"Judge Haselton Dies at Age of 73"|page=8}}
Haselton studied briefly at a Burlington law firm in 1873,{{sfn|''Genealogical and Family History of the State of Vermont''|pages=14-15}} and then attended the University of Michigan Law School.{{sfn|"Judge Haselton Dies at Age of 73"|page=8}} He was a student from 1874 to 1875, and received his ll.b. degree in 1875.{{sfn|"Judge Haselton Dies at Age of 73"|page=8}} He was admitted to the bar the same year, and commenced practice in Burlington.{{sfn|"Judge Haselton Dies at Age of 73"|page=8}}
==Start of career== Haselton was a Democrat,{{sfn|''Genealogical and Family History of the State of Vermont''|pages=14-15}} and became active in Vermont politics at a time when the Republican Party was in control of every major office and every facet of state government.{{sfn|''An Independent Man''|page=64}} Despite his party affiliation, he attained success at the local level with election as Burlington's city court judge, a position he held from 1878 to 1886.{{sfn|''Genealogical and Family History of the State of Vermont''|pages=14-15}} He served in the Vermont House of Representatives from 1886 to 1887,{{sfn|''Genealogical and Family History of the State of Vermont''|pages=14-15}} and was mayor of Burlington from 1891 to 1894.{{sfn|''Genealogical and Family History of the State of Vermont''|pages=14-15}} In April 1892, Haselton appointed Patrick J. Cosgrove to the police force; Cosgrove became chief of police in September 1931.{{sfn|Cosgrove|1931}}
==Later career== In 1894, President Grover Cleveland appointed Haselton as U.S. Minister to Venezuela.{{sfn|''Genealogical and Family History of the State of Vermont''|pages=14-15}} He served from July 1894 to May 1895, when he returned to Vermont after Cleveland requested his resignation.{{sfn|"Minister Haselton's Troubles"|page=4}} Haselton was asked to leave his post following a dispute with Admiral Richard Worsam Meade, the commander of the U.S. Navy's North Atlantic Squadron.{{sfn|"Minister Haselton's Troubles"|page=4}} In Meade's version, Haselton was ineffective in Caracas because he was drinking to excess during the workday.{{sfn|"Minister Haselton's Troubles"|page=4}} In Haselton's, Meade broke diplomatic protocol by rushing past Haselton to greet Venezuelan President Joaquín Crespo at a public event before Haselton could properly introduce him, and then continued one-on-one conversations with Crespo about policy matters without including Haselton.{{sfn|"Minister Haselton's Troubles"|page=4}}
From 1900 to 1902, Haselton was the Reporter of Decisions for the Vermont Supreme Court.{{sfn|"Judge Haselton Dies at Age of 73"|page=8}} In 1902, Associate Justice John W. Rowell was appointed as Chief Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court, and Haselton was appointed to fill the Associate Justice vacancy that resulted.{{sfn|"Judge Haselton Dies at Age of 73"|page=8}} He served until 1906, when a newly passed law reduced the size of the Supreme Court from seven justices to four.{{sfn|"Judge Haselton Dies at Age of 73"|page=8}} From 1906 to 1908, Haselton was the chief judge of the Vermont Superior Court.{{sfn|"Judge Haselton Dies at Age of 73"|page=8}} In 1908, Associate Justice James Manning Tyler retired from the state Supreme Court, and Haselton was named to fill the vacancy.{{sfn|"Judge Haselton Dies at Age of 73"|page=8}} He served until he was not reappointed in late 1914. His retirement lasted less than a month, because public outcry led to Associate Justice Robert E. Healy withdrawing his request for confirmation by the Vermont General Assembly, enabling the legislature to reappoint Haselton in January 1915.{{sfn|"Supreme Court is Elected Without Any Opposition"}} He served until he retired in 1919.{{sfn|"Judge Haselton Dies at Age of 73"|page=8}}
==Civic and professional memberships== Haselton was a member of the Selden Society and the American Society of International Law.{{sfn|"Judge Haselton Dies at Age of 73"|page=8}} He also belonged to the Vermont Historical Society and the Algonquin Club of Burlington.{{sfn|"Judge Haselton Dies at Age of 73"|page=8}} Haselton was a founder and the first vice president of the Green Mountain Club, the creators of Vermont's Long Trail.{{sfn|"The Green Mountain Club was organized in Burlington"|page=8}} He was also a member of the Vermont State Library's board of trustees,{{sfn|"Judge Haselton Dies at Age of 73"|page=8}} and served on the Vermont Board of Bar Examiners.{{sfn|''Genealogical and Family History of the State of Vermont''|pages=14-15}}
==Death and burial== In retirement, Haselton was a resident of Burlington.{{sfn|"Judge Haselton Dies at Age of 73"|page=8}} He died there on July 21, 1921,{{sfn|"Judge Haselton Dies at Age of 73"|page=8}} and was buried at Lakeview Cemetery in Burlington.{{sfn|"Many Pay Tribute"|page=7}}
==Family== Haselton never married, and had no children.{{sfn|"Judge Haselton Dies at Age of 73"|page=8}} Through his mother, Haselton was a descendant of John Eliot, a missionary in the Massachusetts Bay Colony who was famed as the "Apostle to the Indians".{{sfn|"Judge Haselton Dies at Age of 73"|page=8}}
==Legacy== In 1909, the University of Vermont conferred on Haselton the honorary degree of LL.D.{{sfn|"Many Degrees Passed Out"|page=1}}
The Green Mountain Club's Haselton Trail is a hiking route from Smugglers Notch to the summit of Mount Mansfield.{{sfn|"Judge Haselton Dies at Age of 73"|page=8}} Haselton was a noted hiker and outdoorsman, and performed most of the labor that created the trail.{{sfn|"Judge Haselton Dies at Age of 73"|page=8}}
==References== {{reflist}}
==Sources== ===Newspapers=== *{{cite news |date=May 24, 1895 |title=Minister Haselton's Troubles |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/227918398/ |work=Akron Daily Democrat |location=Akron, OH |via=Newspapers.com |ref={{sfnRef|"Minister Haselton's Troubles"}}}} *{{cite news |date=Jun 30, 1909 |title=Many Degrees Passed Out |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/65131724/ |work=Fitchburg Sentinel |location=Fitchburg, MA |via=Newspapers.com |ref={{sfnRef|"Many Degrees Passed Out"}}}} * {{Cite news |date=September 14, 1931 |title=Patrick J. Cosgrove Appointed Chief of Police, Succeeding Late Patrick J. Russell |page=6 |work=The Burlington Free Press |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-burlington-free-press/166089103/ |via=Newspapers.com |ref={{harvid|Cosgrove|1931}}}} *{{cite news |date=January 28, 1915 |title=Supreme Court is Elected Without Any Opposition |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/194782565/ |work=Burlington Free Press |location=Burlington, VT |page=13 |via=Newspapers.com |ref={{sfnRef|"Supreme Court is Elected Without Any Opposition"}}}} *{{cite news |date=March 18, 1910 |title=The Green Mountain Club was organized in Burlington |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/48761883/ |work=Vermont Phoenix |location=Brattleboro, VT |via=Newspapers.com |ref={{sfnRef|"The Green Mountain Club was organized in Burlington"}}}} *{{cite news |date=July 22, 1921 |title=Judge Haselton Dies at Age of 73 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/197968471/ |work=Burlington Free Press |location=Burlington, VT |via=Newspapers.com |ref={{sfnRef|"Judge Haselton Dies at Age of 73"}}}} *{{cite news |date=July 25, 1921 |title=Many Pay Tribute: State Well Represented at Funeral of Late Judge Haselton |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/197969992/ |work=Burlington Free Press |location=Burlington, VT |via=Newspapers.com |ref={{sfnRef|"Many Pay Tribute"}}}}
===Books=== *{{cite book |last=Carleton |first=Hiram |date=1903 |title=Genealogical and Family History of the State of Vermont |url=https://archive.org/stream/genealogicaland01compgoog#page/n50/mode/2up |location=New York, NY |publisher=Lewis Publishing Company |ref={{sfnRef|''Genealogical and Family History of the State of Vermont''}}}} *{{cite book |last=Jeffords |first=James M. |date=2003 |title=An Independent Man: Adventures of a Public Servant |url=https://archive.org/details/independentmanad00jeff |url-access=registration |page=[https://archive.org/details/independentmanad00jeff/page/64 64] |location=New York, NY |publisher=Smon & Schuster |isbn=978-0-7432-2843-5 |ref={{sfnRef|''An Independent Man''}}}}
==External links== *{{Find a Grave|90287288}} *[https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/people/haselton-seneca Seneca Haselton] at Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State *[http://www.law.umich.edu/historyandtraditions/students/Pages/ProfilePage.aspx?SID=1532&Year=1875 Seneca Haselton] at University of Michigan Law School Student Profiles *{{cite book |last=Marquis |first=Albert Nelson |date=1916 |title=Who's Who in New England |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_5jk1AAAAIAAJ |location=Chicago, IL |publisher=A. N. Marquis & Company |page=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_5jk1AAAAIAAJ/page/n521 519]}} *{{cite book |last=Vermont Historical Society |date=1921 |title=Proceedings of the Vermont Historical Society |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YklHAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA269 |location=Montpelier, VT |publisher=Vermont Historical Society |pages=269–270}} *{{cite book |last=Dodge |first=Prentiss Cutler |date=1912 |title=Encyclopedia of Vermont Biography |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_tt2_3hTQxFMC |location=Burlington, VT |publisher=Ullery Publishing Company |page=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_tt2_3hTQxFMC/page/n90 89]}}
{{s-start}} {{s-off}} {{succession box |title=Associate Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court |before=James Manning Tyler |after=Leighton P. Slack |years=1908–1919}} {{succession box |title=Associate Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court |before=John W. Rowell |after=None (Size of court reduced) |years=1902–1906}} {{succession box |title=U.S. Minister to Venezuela |before=Frank C. Partridge |after=Allen Thomas |years=1894–1895}} {{succession box |title=Mayor of Burlington, Vermont |before=William A. Crombie |after=William J. Van Patten |years=1891–1894}} {{s-end}} {{Mayor of Burlington, Vermont}} {{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Haselton, Seneca}} Category:1848 births Category:1921 deaths Category:19th-century mayors of places in Vermont Category:People from Westford, Vermont Category:University of Vermont alumni Category:University of Michigan Law School alumni Category:Vermont lawyers Category:Democratic Party members of the Vermont House of Representatives Category:Mayors of Burlington, Vermont Category:Ambassadors of the United States to Venezuela Category:Justices of the Vermont Supreme Court Category:Burials at Lakeview Cemetery (Burlington, Vermont) Category:19th-century American lawyers Category:Hikers Category:19th-century members of the Vermont General Assembly