Dudley Chase

Dudley Chase
United States Senator from Vermont
In office March 4, 1813 – November 3, 1817
Preceded by	Stephen R. Bradley
Succeeded by	James Fisk
In office March 4, 1825 – March 3, 1831
Preceded by	William A. Palmer
Succeeded by	Samuel Prentiss
Member of the Vermont House of Representatives
In office 1805–1812
Personal details
Born	December 30, 1771 Cornish, Vermont
Died	February 23, 1846 (aged 74) Randolph Center, Vermont
Political party	Democratic-Republican, National Republican

Dudley Chase (December 30, 1771 – February 23, 1846) was a U.S. Senator from Vermont who served from 1813 to 1817 and again from 1825 to 1831. He was born in Cornish, New Hampshire.^[1]

After graduating from Dartmouth College in 1791,^[2] he studied law. In 1793 he was admitted to the Vermont bar.^[3]

Career

Chase lived, farmed and practiced law in Randolph, Vermont.^[4] He was Orange County State's Attorney from 1803 to 1812.^[5] He was a member of the Vermont House of Representatives from 1805 to 1812, serving as Speaker from 1808 to 1812.^[6] He was elected to the state constitutional conventions in 1814 and 1822.^[7]

Chase was elected to the U.S. Senate as a Democratic-Republican in 1812 and served from 1813 to 1817, when he resigned.^[8] He was the first ever Chairman of the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, serving from 1816 to 1817.^[9]

After resigning in 1817, he returned to Vermont, where he was Chief Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court until 1821.^[10] He served as a member of the Vermont House of Representatives from 1823 to 1824.^[11]

He returned to national politics in 1825 when he was elected as an Anti-Jacksonian to the U.S. Senate, serving until 1831.^[12]

Dudley Chase died in Randolph on February 23, 1846.^[13] He was buried in Randolph Center Cemetery.^[14]

Family

Dudley Chase was an uncle of Salmon P. Chase^[15] (Treasury Secretary, 1861–1864 and Chief Justice of the United States, 1864–1873) and Dudley Chase Denison^[16] (a U.S. Representative from Vermont). He was the brother of Philander Chase.^[17]

Home

Dudley Chase's Randolph Center home still stands and is a private residence.^[18]

Attempts to locate portrait

Chase is one of between 40 and 50 U.S. Senators for whom the Senate historian has no portrait, photograph or other likeness on file.^[19] According to Randolph historian and Chase descendant Harriet M. Chase, no portrait of Dudley Chase was ever painted. Other efforts to locate a likeness of Dudley Chase have also proved unsuccessful.^[20]

References

1. John Lauris Blake, A Biographical Dictionary, 1859, page 271
2. Gerald W. McFarland, The "Counterfeit" Man: The True Story of the Boorn-Colvin Murder Case, 1993, page 83
3. William R. Denslow, Harry S. Truman, 10,000 Famous Freemasons, Part One (A to J), 2004, page 201
4. Abby Maria Hemenway, The Vermont Historical Gazetteer, Volume 2, 1871, page 1051
5. Vermont Historical Society, Annual Meetings Proceedings, 1920, page 92
6. Jared Sparks, Francis Bowen, George Partridge Sanger, American Almanac and Repository of Useful Knowledge, Volume 18, 1846, page 331
7. George Thomas Chapman, Sketches of the Alumni of Dartmouth College, 1867, page 58
8. Zadock Thompson, History of the State of Vermont, 1833, page 245
9. William F. Patry, Copyright Law and Practice, Volume 3, 1994, page 2241
10. Prentiss Cutler Dodge, Encyclopedia of Vermont Biography, 1912, page 57
11. Jacob G. Ullery, Men of Vermont Illustrated, 1894, page 111
12. Jacob William Schuckers, The Life and Public Services of Salmon Portland Chase], 1874, page 3
13. Niles' National Register, Hon. Dudley Chase Died, March 14, 1846
14. Dudley Chase page, Find A Grave, accessed July 7, 2012
15. John Niven, Salmon P. Chase: A Biography, 1995, page 21
16. Hiram Carleton, Genealogical and Family History of the State of Vermont, 1903, page 356
17. Philander Chase, Reminiscences of Bishop Chase, 1843, page 588
18. Mim Herwig, Randolph Center Notes, Randolph Herald, June 14, 2012
19. U.S. Senate Photo Historian, Senators Not Represented in Senate Historical Office Photo Collection, accessed July 7, 2012
20. Vermont Bar Association, Annual Meeting Proceedings, 1935, page 90

External resources

• United States Congress. "Dudley Chase (id: C000325)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• Dartmouth Alumni Bio from 1867