Henry A. Fletcher

Fletcher was born in Cavendish, Vermont on December 11, 1839,{{sfn|"Henry A. Fletcher of Cavendish"|page=1}} the son of Ryland Fletcher and Mary (May) Fletcher.{{sfn|Men of Vermont Illustrated|page=140}} Fletcher was the son and grandson of prominent Vermont politicians; his father was both the Lieutenant Governor (1854–1856) and the Governor (1856–1858) of Vermont.{{sfn|Men of Vermont Illustrated|page=140}} His grandfather, Asaph Fletcher, was a member of the convention which applied to Congress for the admission of Vermont into the Union, and served for several sessions in the Vermont Legislature, was a county judge and presidential elector.{{sfn|Men of Vermont Illustrated|page=140}}

Henry Fletcher grew up on his family's farm in Cavendish, and was educated in the local schools before attending Chester and Black River Academies.{{sfn|"Henry A. Fletcher of Cavendish"|page=1}} After completing his education, Fletcher became a farmer in Cavendish.{{sfn|"Henry A. Fletcher of Cavendish"|page=1}}

On August 29, 1862, Fletcher enlisted in the Union Army for the American Civil War and was mustered in as second sergeant of Company C, 16th Vermont Infantry, a unit of the 2nd Vermont Brigade.{{sfn|Men of Vermont Illustrated|page=140}} He was promoted to first sergeant on October 23, 1862, and regimental sergeant major on March 9, 1863.{{sfn|Men of Vermont Illustrated|page=140}} Fletcher was commissioned as a second lieutenant in Company C on April 23, 1863, to date from April 2.{{sfn|Men of Vermont Illustrated|page=140}} He took part in all the 16th Vermont's engagements, including the Battle of Gettysburg, and mustered out when the regiment's enlistments expired on August 10, 1863.{{sfn|Revised Roster of Vermont Volunteers|pages=549, 553}} After the war, Fletcher was a member of the Grand Army of the Republic,{{sfn|Men of Vermont Illustrated|page=140}} the Reunion Society of Vermont Officers, and other veterans organizations.{{sfn|Proceedings of the Reunion Society of Vermont Officers|page=202}}

After the war, Fletcher owned and operated the farm that had started by his grandfather.{{sfn|"Henry A. Fletcher of Cavendish"|page=1}} A Republican, he represented his hometown in the Vermont House of Representatives in 1867, 1868, 1878, 1880 and 1882, and represented Windsor County in the Vermont Senate in 1886.{{sfn|"Henry A. Fletcher of Cavendish"|page=1}} During his legislative career, his committee assignments included banking, railroads, revision of laws, and general affairs.{{sfn|"Henry A. Fletcher of Cavendish"|page=1}}

When Redfield Proctor served as governor from 1878 to 1880, Fletcher served on his military staff as aide-de-camp with the rank of colonel.{{sfn|"Henry A. Fletcher of Cavendish"|page=1}}

In 1890, Fletcher was elected lieutenant governor, and he served from 1890 to 1892, the one term available under the Republican Party's "Mountain Rule".{{sfn|"Death Notice, Henry A. Fletcher"|page=3}} In 1892, Fletcher was a candidate for governor, but lost the Republican nomination to Levi K. Fuller at that year's state party convention.{{sfn|"Republican Convention: Fuller and Stranahan Head the Ticket"|page=4}} After leaving office, Fletcher continued to operate his farm in Cavendish.{{sfn|"Death Notice, Henry A. Fletcher"|page=3}}

Fletcher never married and had no children.{{sfn|"Death Notice, Henry A. Fletcher"|page=3}}

Fletched died of Bright's disease in Cavendish on April 19, 1897.{{sfn|"Death Notice, Henry A. Fletcher"|page=3}} He was buried at Cavendish Village Cemetery.{{sfn|"Funeral Notice, Henry A. Fletcher"|page=1}}

• Vermont in the Civil War

{{reflist}}

• {{cite news |date=July 17, 1890 |title=Henry A. Fletcher of Cavendish: The Republican Nominee for Lieutenant Governor |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/burlington-clipper-fletcher/168452746/ |work=Burlington Clipper |location=Burlington, VT |via=Newspapers.com |ref={{sfnRef|"Henry A. Fletcher of Cavendish"}}}}
• {{cite news |date=June 23, 1892 |title=Republican Convention: Fuller and Stranahan Head the Ticket |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/burlington-clipper-convention/168452844/ |work=Burlington Clipper |location=Burlington, VT |via=Newspapers.com |ref={{sfnRef|"Republican Convention: Fuller and Stranahan Head the Ticket"}}}}
• {{cite news |date=April 23, 1897 |title=Death Notice, Henry A. Fletcher |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-st-johnsbury-caledonian-fletcher/168452986/ |work=St. Johnsbury Caledonian |location=St. Johnsbury, VT |via=Newspapers.com |ref={{sfnRef|"Death Notice, Henry A. Fletcher"}}}}
• {{cite news |date=April 28, 1897 |title=Funeral Notice, Henry A. Fletcher |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/argus-and-patriot-fletcher/168453059/ |work=The Argus and Patriot |location=Montpelier, VT |via=Newspapers.com |ref={{sfnRef|"Funeral Notice, Henry A. Fletcher"}}}}

• {{cite book |last=Peck |first=Theodore S. |date=1892 |title=Revised Roster of Vermont Volunteers and Lists of Vermonters who Served in the Army and Navy of the United States During the War of the Rebellion |url=https://archive.org/stream/cu31924080774148#page/n569/mode/2up |location=Montpelier, VT |publisher=Watchman Publishing Co. |author-link=Theodore S. Peck |ref={{sfnRef|Revised Roster of Vermont Volunteers}}}}
• {{cite book |last=Reunion Society of Vermont Officers |date=1906 |title=Proceedings of the Reunion Society of Vermont Officers |volume=2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1OoSAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA202 |location=Burlington, VT |publisher=Free Press Printing Company |ref={{sfnRef|Proceedings of the Reunion Society of Vermont Officers}}}}
• {{cite book |last=Ullery |first=Jacob G. |date=1894 |title=Men of Vermont Illustrated |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb__L0MAAAAYAAJ |page=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb__L0MAAAAYAAJ/page/n338 140] |location=Brattleboro, VT |publisher=Transcript Publishing Company |ref={{sfnRef|Men of Vermont Illustrated}}}}

{{Find a Grave|19726926}}

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{{s-bef|before=Urban A. Woodbury}}

{{s-ttl|title=Republican nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Vermont|years=1890}}

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{{succession box | before=Urban A. Woodbury | title=Lieutenant Governor of Vermont | years=1890–1892 | after=F. Stewart Stranahan}}

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{{Lieutenant Governors of Vermont}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fletcher, Henry A.}}

Category:1839 births

Category:1897 deaths

Category:Members of the Vermont House of Representatives

Category:Vermont state senators

Category:Lieutenant governors of Vermont

Category:People of Vermont in the American Civil War

Category:2nd Vermont Brigade

Category:People from Cavendish, Vermont

Category:19th-century members of the Vermont General Assembly