Lewis Samuel Partridge (March 10, 1818 – May 22, 1886) was an American politician and military leader who served as Vermont's United States Marshal and as Adjutant General of the Vermont Militia.
Early life and business career Lewis S. Partridge was born in Norwich, Vermont on March 10, 1818. The son of Abel Partridge and Alpa (Lewis) Partridge, he was also the nephew of Norwich University founder Alden Partridge.William Arba Ellis, Norwich University, 1819-1911; Her History, Her Graduates, Her Roll of Honor, 1911, Volume 2, pages 292-293
Lewis Partridge was educated in Norwich and worked as a store clerk in Norwich and Claremont, New Hampshire. In 1833 he was appointed Norwich's Postmaster, and he graduated from Norwich University in 1838. Partridge's business career prospered, and he became the proprietor of a store in Norwich as well as Norwich's Union Hotel.Henry Villiers Partridge, A History of Norwich, Vermont, 1905, page 235
As a direct link to Alden Partridge, for many years Lewis Partridge was accorded the honor of serving as marshal of Norwich University's annual commencement exercises.William Arba Ellis, Norwich University, 1819-1911; Her History, Her Graduates, Her Roll of Honor, 1911, Volume 1, pages 130-131
Political and military career Partridge was active in Vermont's Democratic Party, even as Vermont became a solid Whig and then Republican state. He served in local offices including Justice of the Peace, and was a member of the Vermont House of Representatives from 1852 to 1854.Vermont General Assembly, Journal of the House of the State of Vermont, 1877, page 596Leonard Deming, Catalogue of the Principal Officers of Vermont, 1851, page 206
Partridge was a member of the Vermont Militia for several years. In the 1840s he held the rank of captain as commander of the 23rd Regiment's Light Infantry Company. From 1852 to 1854 Partridge served as Adjutant General of the Vermont militia.Vermont General Assembly, Journal of the Vermont General Assembly, 1854, page 452 From 1855 to 1857 he again served as town Postmaster.J. H. Colton and Company (New York), Post Office Directory, 1857, page 178
A supporter of James Buchanan for President in 1856, Partridge was rewarded with appointment as U.S. Marshal for the District of Vermont; he succeeded Charles Chapin, and served from 1857 to 1861.Vermont Secretary of State, Vermont Legislative Directory, 1892, page 64 In 1861 he was again appointed Postmaster of Norwich.William Arba Ellis, Norwich University, Volume 2, page 293
Civil War During the American Civil War Partridge was arrested for alleged Confederate sympathies. In July, 1862 his successor as Marshal, Charles C. P. Baldwin, detained Partridge and others, and charged them with treason. They were accused of protesting by cutting down an American flag at a recruiting office and then using pistols to prevent soldiers from raising it again. Partridge initially traveled to Canada to escape arrest, but later appeared in Burlington to answer the charge and post bail. In 1864 he stood trial for obstructing the draft, and was acquitted.New York Times, The Case of Marshal Partridge, July 29, 1862New York Daily Tribune, The Case of Ex-Marshal Partridge, July 29, 1862Thomas D. Seymour Bassett, The Growing Edge: Vermont Villages, 1840-1880, 1992, page 142
Partridge was also a Delegate to the 1864 Democratic National Convention.Chicago Times, printers, Official Proceedings, 1864 Democratic National Convention, 1864, page 13
Later life Partridge remained active in politics. In 1870 he was an unsuccessful Democratic nominee for the United States House of Representatives, losing to Republican Luke P. Poland.Horace Greeley, editor, The Tribune Almanac and Political Register, 1871, page 69
He attended Democratic meetings in 1872 to argue against a coalition with Liberal Republicans.Walter Hill Crockett, Vermont: The Green Mountain State, Volume 4, 1921, page 50
In 1884 he served as President of Vermont's Cleveland and Hendricks Club, and when Cleveland took office in 1885 Partridge was again appointed Norwich's Postmaster.Vermont Journal, Norwich News, August 2, 1884, via transcription by Ruth Barton at Ancestry.comLewis Cass Aldrich, Frank R. Holmes, History of Windsor County, Vermont, 1891, page 493
Death Lewis Partridge died in Norwich on May 22, 1886.Albany Times, Death Notice, Lewis S. Partridge, May 24, 1886 He was buried at Fairview Cemetery in Norwich.
Family On June 16, 1846 Lewis Partridge married Harriet Baxter of Norwich. They had three children: Lewis, Lizzie, and Harriet Louise.Henry Villiers Partridge, A History of Norwich Vermont, page 235
Harriet Baxter Partridge died on August 25, 1854, and on May 27, 1856 Partridge married Elizabeth Woodruff of Tinmouth. They had eight children: Edward, Alliston, Charles, Robert, Marion, Mary, Martha, and William.William Arba Ellis, Norwich University, Volume 2, page 293
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