Charles Henry Stearns (February 7, 1854 – October 12, 1936) was a businessman and politician who served as 45th lieutenant governor of Vermont for one term.
Early life Charles Henry Stearns was born in Johnson, Vermont, on February 7, 1854. He was educated in Johnson and graduated from the State Normal School (later Johnson State College and now Northern Vermont University) and Vermont Seminary in Montpelier.Encyclopedia of Vermont Biography, by Prentiss Cutler Dodge, 1912, page 321
Business career Stearns joined his family's business manufacturing butter tubs and other wood products, and eventually expanded the company into other areas of the lumber business, including logging lands in Canada.Men of Vermont: An Illustrated Biographical History of Vermonters and Sons of Vermont, compiled by Jacob G. Ullery, 1894, pages 374 to 375 He also became active in other enterprises, including a dry goods store and a granite quarry and stone products business. He also served as a director and president of the Union Bank and Trust Company of Morrisville.Who's Who in New England, published by A. N. Marquis, Chicago, 1915, page 1014The American Blue Book of Biography: Men of 1914, compiled by Thomas William Herringshaw, 1914, page 884
Political career Stearns was active in government and politics, including service as chairman of the Lamoille County Republican Committee, and Johnson Town Treasurer. He was elected to the Vermont House of Representatives from 1886 to 1888 and the Vermont Senate from 1898 to 1890. In 1904 he was elected lieutenant governor, serving until 1906.Manual of the Legislature of Vermont, published by Vermont General Assembly, 1904, page 53Who's Who in Finance, Banking and Insurance, edited by John William Leonard, Volume 1, 1911, page 947, by Vermont Secretary of State, State Archives and Records Administration2008, page 16Newspaper article, Vermont Republican Ticket, The New York Times, July 1, 1904Vermont: The Green Mountain State, by Walter Hill Crockett, Volume 4, 1921, page 375
Family In 1876, Stearns married Viola A. Hall of Johnson. They were the parents of a son, C. Arthur Stearns.
Death and burial Stearns died in Medfield, Massachusetts, on October 12, 1936.Vermont Death Records, 1909–2008, Record for Charles H. Stearns. Retrieved December 31, 2011 He was buried in Johnson's Lamoille View Cemetery.
Legacy C. H. Stearns Company is still active in Johnson as a convenience store and gas station, and one of his partnerships, Parker and Stearns, still operates as a construction supply and equipment business.
Stearns Hall at Johnson State College is named after him.Buildings Description page , Johnson College web site. Retrieved December 31, 2011
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