Frederick Holbrook (February 15, 1813 – April 28, 1909) was an American farmer, businessman, and Governor of the State of 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. He was raised in Brattleboro, Vermont, attended Berkshire Gymnasium in Pittsfield, Massachusetts for two years, then moved to Boston, where he remained for two years as a partner in the Richardson, Lord and Holbrook bookstore.
In 1833, Holbrook embarked on an extended visit to Europe. Upon his return in 1833, he settled in Brattleboro, where he became active in farming. He also became a member of Brattleboro's contingent of the Vermont State Militia, the Brattleboro Floodwood Company. Holbrook was soon elected to lead the unit with the rank of captain, and he commanded for several years in the mid-1830s.
A talented singer, while living in Boston, Holbrook was a member of the Handel and Haydn Society and a member of the choir directed by Lowell Mason. After settling in Brattleboro, Holbrook sang bass and directed the choir at the town's Centre Congregational Church for over 40 years. In 1840, he was one of the organizers of the Windham County Society for the Promotion of Sacred Music.
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 the 1850s, Holbrook was an associate editor of the New England Farmer magazine.
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.