Frederick Holbrook

Frederick Holbrook (February 15, 1813 – April 28, 1909) was an American farmer, businessman, and politician from Vermont. Active in politics and government, first as a Whig, and later as a Republican, he was most notable for his service as the 27th governor of Vermont from 1861 to 1863.

A native of East Windsor, Connecticut, Holbrook was a son of Sarah (Knowlton) Holbrook and John Holbrook and a grandson of Luke Knowlton. He was raised in Vermont and educated at the Berkshire Gymnasium in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, then embarked on careers in farming and business as a resident of Brattleboro. Holbrook served briefly in the militia, and became active in local government as Register of Probate for the Marlboro District, an office he held from 1848 to 1861. He represented Windham County in the Vermont Senate from 1849 to 1850.

Holbrook became a Republican when the party was founded in the mid-1850s. In 1861 he was the party's successful nominee for governor. He was reelected in 1862 and served from October 1861 to October 1863. As the state's chief executive in the middle of the American Civil War, Holbrook oversaw Vermont's contribution to the Union effort, including raising more than ten Infantry regiments for the Union Army. In keeping with the Republican "Mountain Rule", Holbrook was not a candidate for reelection in 1863.

After leaving the governorship, Holbrook declined to be a candidate for any other office and returned to his Brattleboro farming and business interests, including serving as president of the Vermont Savings Bank and president of the Vermont Asylum for the Insane's board of trustees. He died in Brattleboro on April 28, 1909. Holbrook was buried at Prospect Hill Cemetery in Brattleboro.

Early life Holbrook was born in East Windsor, Connecticut on February 15, 1813, son of Sarah (Knowlton) Holbrook and John Holbrook, a notable publisher and businessman. Via his mother's family, he was the grandson of Luke Knowlton.

In 1833, Holbrook embarked on an extended visit to Europe. Individuals who could afford the necessary money and time formed independent companies, which were uniformed and fielded high-quality equipment. Regular companies were not uniformed and did not have standard equipment, so they became known as "floodwood companies", a reference to their use when necessary of sticks, pitchforks, hoes, and other farm implements in place of rifles. Holbrook was soon elected to lead the unit with the rank of captain, and he commanded for several years in the mid-1830s. After settling in Brattleboro, Holbrook sang bass and directed the choir at the town's Centre Congregational Church for over 40 years.

Continued career Holbrook took advantage of the farming knowledge he gained in Europe to prepare newspaper and magazine articles advocating for improved agricultural methods. In addition, he experimented and invented on his own farm, and among the implements he designed was an all-steel plow.

In addition to his interest in farming, Holbrook was active in several business ventures. In the 1830s, Holbrook and Franklin H. Fessenden took over the Holbrook & Fessenden paper mill from their fathers and other relatives and investors. They operated the business for several years until selling it to a new corporation, the Typographic Company. In 1851, Holbrook was an original incorporator of the Wantastiquet Railroad Company, which was intended to link several Windham County towns to either the Rutland & Burlington Railroad or the main line of the Western Vermont Railroad. In 1852, he was one of the incorporators who revived the charter for the Brattleboro Railroad, which had been granted in 1835 but had not been acted on, and was intended to connect Brattleboro with railroads in eastern New York state.

Political career Holbrook became active in politics, first as a Whig, and later as a Republican. He served in local offices, including town lister. Holbrook was elected register of probate for the district of Marlboro in 1847 and served until 1861. He was elected by a large majority, 33,152 votes to 5,722 for his nearest competitor, Andrew Tracy. Under his administration, Vermont also built three military hospitals in the state which were "soon credited by the United States medical inspector with perfecting a larger percentage of cures than any United States military hospital record elsewhere could show."

After the September 1862 Battle of Antietam, Holbrook wrote to President Abraham Lincoln to suggest that the federal government issue a call for 500,000 additional troops to increase the Union Army's ranks. In the event that the Lincoln administration could not immediately bear the expenses of raising, equipping, and paying so many troops, Holbrook offered to have Vermont's state government pay up front for its contingent and accept reimbursement later. He also resumed his farm and business interests, including serving as president of the Vermont Savings Bank.

Death Holbrook died at his home in Brattleboro on April 28, 1909. He was buried at Prospect Hill Cemetery in Brattleboro. After the war he operated a Boston-based company that manufactured farm implements. Afterwards, he attended Harvard Law School, practiced law in New York City, and served as judge of the city's court of special sessions.

Legacy In 1851, Holbrook received the honorary degree of Master of Arts from the University of Vermont. In 1862, he received an honorary M.A. from Dartmouth College.

The Deacon John Holbrook House on Linden Street in Brattleboro was built by Holbrook's father in the 1820s. It still stands and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in the 1980s.