John H. Senter

John Henry Senter was born in Cabot, Vermont on November 11, 1848, the son of Dearborn Bean Senter and Susan C. (Lyford) Senter.[1] He was raised in East Montpelier, Vermont and Concord, New Hampshire. Senter graduated from high school in Concord and received his qualification as a school teacher.[1] He taught at schools in Dover, New Hampshire, Garland, Maine and locations throughout Vermont.[1] In the mid-1870s, Senter settled in Montpelier, where he clerked in several stores while studying law with Clarence H. Pitkin.[1] He was admitted to the bar in 1879 and began a practice in Warren, Vermont.[1]

In 1885, Senter moved to Montpelier, where he practiced law in partnership with Harlan W. Kemp, while they simultaneously operated an insurance brokerage.[1] Senter served as secretary of the Union Mutual Fire Insurance Company, while Kemp was treasurer.[1] While living in Warren, he served as the town's school superintendent.[1] After settling permanently in Montpelier, he served as the village attorney and secretary of the village's board of trade.[1]

Senter was a Democrat in an era when the Republican Party dominated Vermont, including a streak of winning every statewide election from the 1850s to the 1960s. Senter had a long career in Democratic Party politics, and despite party affiliation, he served in numerous elective and appointive offices.[1] He served as assistant secretary or secretary of the Vermont Democratic Party for more than 20 years, and was a delegate to the 1888 Democratic National Convention.[1] He served as chairman of the Vermont Democratic Party, and was succeeded by Emory S. Harris in 1900.[2] From 1900 to 1904, Senter represented Vermont on the Democratic National Committee.[1] In 1900, he was the Democratic nominee for Governor of Vermont.[1] In the 1904 election for U.S. Senator, Senter received the courtesy votes of Democrats in the Vermont General Assembly, while Republican Redfield Proctor was easily reelected.[3]

Even though he was a Democrat, in the 1880s and 1890s, Senter was habitually chosen for nonpartisan local positions.[1] He was the chairman of Montpelier's village caucus, and he served as a justice of the peace, school superintendent, and in other local offices.[1] Montpelier was incorporated as a city in 1895, and Senter served as mayor from 1898 to 1900.[1]

Senter served on the state Tax Commission from 1896 to 1897, and during the same period he served on the commission that oversaw planning for and construction of a new county jail.[1] From 1903 to 1904, Senter served as State's Attorney for Washington County.[1] From 1906 to 1907, he represented Montpelier in the Vermont House of Representatives, and he served as chairman of the House Committee on Corporations.[1]

During the first administration of Grover Cleveland (1885-1889), Senter served as a federal bank examiner for Vermont.[1] In 1886, he was appointed a commissioner of the United States Circuit Court that included the Vermont district.[1]

In 1894, Senter was appointed United States Attorney for the District of Vermont, succeeding Frank Plumley.[4] He served until 1898, when he was succeeded by James Loren Martin.[5]

Senter was a longtime member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and was active in the local Montpelier organization.[6] In addition, he was a member of the Elks, Masons, Knights Templar, and Shriners.[1] Senter served as president of the Vermont Bar Association from 1902 to 1903.[1]

Near the end of his life, Senter moved his law practice to Waterbury while continuing to reside in Montpelier.[1] In 1915, he was treated for several times for angina.[1] He suffered a fatal heart attack and died at his apartment in Montpelier on January 20, 1916.[1] Senter was buried at Green Mount Cemetery in Montpelier.[7]

In 1875, Senter married Addie G. Martin.[1] They were the parents of five children, including Frank, Clarence, Mabel, John Jr., and Clara.[1]