Franklin S. Billings

For the U.S. federal judge (born 1922), see Franklin S. Billings Jr.

Franklin S. Billings
60th Governor of Vermont
In office January 8, 1925 – January 6, 1927
Lieutenant	Walter K. Farnsworth
Preceded by	Redfield Proctor Jr.
Succeeded by	John E. Weeks
54th Lieutenant Governor of Vermont
In office January 4, 1923 – January 8, 1925
Governor	Redfield Proctor, Jr.
Preceded by	Abram W. Foote
Succeeded by	Walter K. Farnsworth
Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives
In office 1921–1923
Preceded by	Charles S. Dana
Succeeded by	Orlando L. Martin
Member of the Vermont House of Representatives from Woodstock
In office 1921–1923
Preceded by	Charles Martin White
Succeeded by	Norman Williams
In office 1910–1915
Preceded by	Wales N. Johnson
Succeeded by	John Stearns Eaton
Personal details
Born	Franklin Swift Billings (1862-05-11)May 11, 1862 New Bedford, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died	January 16, 1935(1935-01-16) (aged 72) Woodstock, Vermont, U.S.
Resting place	Riverside Cemetery, Woodstock, Vermont, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouses	Bessie Hewitt Vail ​ ​ (m. 1892; died 1917)​ Gertrude Freeman Curtis ​ ​ (after 1917)​
Children	4; including Franklin S. Billings, Jr.
Parent(s)	Franklin Noble Billings Nancy Swift Billings
Relatives	Frederick H. Billings (uncle) Mary Billings French (cousin)
Profession	Businessman
Military service
Allegiance	United States Vermont
Service	Vermont National Guard
Years of service	1904–1906
Rank	Colonel
Unit	Staff of Governor Charles J. Bell

Franklin Swift Billings (May 11, 1862 – January 16, 1935) was an American businessman and politician from Woodstock, Vermont. He served as the 54th lieutenant governor of Vermont from 1923 to 1925 and as the 60th governor of Vermont from 1925 to 1927.

Early life

Billings was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts, and his parents were Franklin Noble Billings and Nancy Swift Billings.

He was educated at Adams Academy in Quincy, and graduated from Milton Academy in Milton, Massachusetts. Billings attended Harvard University and graduated in 1885.

Career

Billings worked on a Kansas sheep ranch and then engaged in the import-export business in New York City. In 1903 he moved to Vermont and was a director of the Woodstock Railway Company, Hotel Company, Aqueduct Company, and Electric Company. Billings was also President of the Woodstock Ice Supply Company, and Treasurer of the Empire Building Company and the Vermont Investment Company. From 1904 to 1906 he served on the staff of Governor Charles J. Bell as chief of staff of the Vermont National Guard with the rank of colonel. He was the longtime chairman of the Woodstock Village Meeting and an active Republican. He was also a member of the state Commission for the Conservation of Natural Resources and the State Board of Education.

After serving in the Vermont House of Representatives from 1910 to 1915, Billings returned to the Vermont House from 1921 to 1923 and served as Speaker.

From 1923 to 1925, Billings was lieutenant governor. In 1924, he won election as governor and served from 1925 to 1927. The federal government established national forests in Vermont during his gubernatorial administration. Also, the Motor Vehicle Department was created, and provision was made for the registration of motor vehicles.

After leaving the governorship he served on the state Liquor Control Board, and was a member of the Harvard University Board of Overseers.

Personal life

On July 12, 1892, he married Elizabeth "Bessie" Hewitt Vail (1869–1917) of New York and they had three children: Elizabeth Swift Billings, Franklin Noble Billings, and Nancy Billings.

After his first wife's death in 1917, Billings married Gertrude Freeman Curtis (1881–1964) in 1919. They had one son; Franklin S. Billings Jr. (1922–2014), who became Chief Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court and Chief Justice of the United States District Court for the District of Vermont.

Billings died in Woodstock on January 16, 1935. He is interred at Riverside Cemetery, Woodstock.

Legacy

Two Billings family legacies in Woodstock, the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park and the Billings Farm and Museum were created to focus on conservation, rural life and agricultural history.

External links

• The Political Graveyard
• Franklin S. Billings at Find a Grave
• National Governors Association
• Encyclopedia, Vermont Biography