Leonard Sargeant

Sargeant was born in Dorset, Vermont on March 17, 1793, a son of Dr. John Sargeant and Delight (Bell) Sargeant.{{cite news |last=White |first=Pliny H. |date=March 11, 1865 |title=Alumni of Middlebury College: John Sargeant |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-vermont-record-and-farmer-sargeant/146114104/ |work=The Vermont Record |location=Brattleboro, VT |page=7 |via=Newspapers.com}}{{cite book |last1=Sargent |first1=John S. |last2=Sargent |first2=Aaron |date=1895 |title=Sargent Genealogy: Hugh Sargent, William Sargeant |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jypPAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA69 |location=Boston, MA |publisher=Geo. H. Ellis |page=69 |via=Google Books}} He studied law with Richard Skinner, was admitted to the bar, and practiced law in Manchester as Skinner's partner. Sargeant was also a farmer and served as Vice President of the Vermont Agricultural Society.[https://books.google.com/books?id=Ysw-AAAAYAAJ&dq=%22leonard+sargeant%22+manchester+vermont&pg=PA121 Magazine article, Vermont Agricultural and Horticultural Society], The School Journal and Vermont Agriculturist, December 1847, page 121 He served in the War of 1812 as a member of the Vermont Militia company commanded by Abel Richardson.{{cite web |url=https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/13322849?mark=7b22746f6b656e223a2249524d596f494b594e35565833486a67336971336145385a68515569626f36457470774b4f4336724875453d222c22746f6b656e5f76657273696f6e223a225632227d |title=U.S. War of 1812 Pension Application Files Index, 1812-1815, Entry for Leonard Sargeant |date=1871 |website=Ancestry.com |publisher=Ancestry.com LLC |location=Lehi, UT |access-date=April 26, 2024 |url-access=subscription}} During the war, Sargeant made use of medical training obtained from his father to nurse sick and wounded soldiers.{{cite news |last=Robbins |first=Mary Utley |date=September 20, 1923 |title=Manchester-In-The-Mts.: Some of Its Early Homes and Their Inhabitants |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-manchester-journal-mary-utley-robbin/73146629/ |work=The Manchester Journal |location=Manchester, VT |page=1 |via=Newspapers.com}} He was taken prisoner and held in Canada, where he remained until his father secured his release. In his later years, Sargeant received a pension for his wartime service.{{cite book |last=Bigelow |first=Edwin L. |date=1961 |title=Manchester, Vermont: A Pleasant Land Among the Mountains, 1761-1961 |url=https://archive.org/details/manchestervermon00bige/page/120/mode/2up |location=Manchester, VT |publisher=Town of Manchester, Vermont |page=120 |via=Archive.org}}

He was active in the Whig party, and served in numerous offices including probate judge, state's attorney, postmaster and justice of the peace.[https://books.google.com/books?id=LzITAAAAYAAJ&dq=%22leonard+sargeant%22+vermont+probate+judge&pg=RA4-PA7 Journal of the Senate of the State of Vermont], published by Vermont General Assembly, 1842, page 7 He was a member of the Vermont Council of Censors in 1827, and a delegate to the 1836 Vermont constitutional convention.[https://books.google.com/books?id=_lArAAAAYAAJ&dq=%22leonard+sargeant%22+vermont+council+of+censors&pg=RA1-PA127 History of Vermont], by Zadock Thompson, 1842, page 127[https://books.google.com/books?id=wxssAAAAIAAJ&dq=%22leonard+sargeant%22+1836+constitutional+convention&pg=PA4 Journal of the Convention Holden at Montpelier, on the 6th day of January, 1836], published by J. Spooner, St. Albans, 1836, page 4[https://books.google.com/books?id=7NYGAQAAIAAJ&dq=%22leonard+sargeant%22+vermont&pg=PA103 Vermont Year Book], published by E. P. Walton, Montpelier, 1836, page 103[https://books.google.com/books?id=evsCAAAAYAAJ&dq=%22leonard+sargeant%22+manchester&pg=PA48 United States Official Postal Guide], published by United States Post Office Department, 1822, page 48

His legal career included the noteworthy defense of Stephen and Jesse Boorn, brothers who were convicted and sentenced to life in prison (Jesse) and death (Stephen) for the killing of Russell Colvin, a man missing from Manchester. Several years later Colvin returned to Vermont to prove that he was still alive. He had moved to New Jersey after an altercation with the Boorns and changed his name. The Boorn case is the first known instance of a wrongful conviction for murder in the United States.[http://www.law.northwestern.edu/wrongfulconvictions/exonerations/vtBoornSummary.html America's First Wrongful Murder Conviction Case], Center on Wrongful Convictions, Northwestern University School of Law, accessed January 5, 2011[https://books.google.com/books?id=Ncfc202K3OYC&dq=%22leonard+sargeant%22+manchester+vermont&pg=PA210 The Trial, Confessions and Conviction of Jesse and Stephen Boorn for the Murder of Russell Colvin], by Leonard Sargeant, 1873

Sargeant served in both the Vermont House of Representatives and Vermont Senate in the 1830s and 1840s.[https://books.google.com/books?id=lNQbAQAAMAAJ&dq=%22leonard+sargeant%22+vermont+house+of+representatives&pg=PA202 The Vermont Historical Gazetteer], edited by Abby Maria Hemenway, Volume 1, 1867, page 202 From 1846 to 1848 he served as Lieutenant Governor.[https://web.archive.org/web/20070927011635/http://vermont-archives.org/govhistory/elect/results1/pdf/stoff2ltgov.pdf General Election results, Vermont Lieutenant Governor, 1813–2011], Vermont Secretary of State, State Archives and Records Administration, 2011, page 7

After leaving office, he practiced law until retiring in the 1870s.

In retirement, Sargeant resided at his daughter's home in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. He died in Johnstown on June 18, 1880 and was buried at Dellwood Cemetery in Manchester.[https://books.google.com/books?id=T1I0AAAAMAAJ&dq=%22leonard+sargeant%22&pg=PA242 The Bibliography of Vermont], 1897, page 242

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Category:1793 births

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Category:Burials at Dellwood Cemetery

Category:Vermont lawyers

Category:Vermont Whigs

Category:Members of the Vermont House of Representatives

Category:Vermont state senators

Category:Lieutenant governors of Vermont

Category:People from Manchester, Vermont

Category:Vermont state court judges

Category:19th-century American judges

Category:19th-century American lawyers

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