Portus Baxter
American politician (1806–1868)
Portus Baxter (December 4, 1806 – March 4, 1868) was a nineteenth-century banker, farmer, and politician from Vermont. He served three terms as a U.S. Representative from the state's 3rd Congressional District from 1861 to 1867.
Early life
Baxter was born in Brownington, Vermont, the son of William Baxter and Lydia Ashley. After attending local schools, he graduated from Norwich Military Academy in 1824, and entered the University of Vermont in Burlington. He left UVM in 1826 after his father's death, and was responsible for administering his father's estate. (In 1852, UVM conferred on Baxter the honorary degree of Master of Arts.) He moved to Derby Line, Vermont, in 1828, where he engaged in agricultural and mercantile pursuits, which took him down the Connecticut River valley and into Canada. He was one of the original incorporators of the Connecticut and Passumpsic Rivers Railroad, which was planned to run almost the entire length of the state on the eastern border.
Politics
Baxter was the only Whig delegate from New England who supported Zachary Taylor for president in 1848. He was one of Orleans County's assistant judges from 1836 to 1837. He was a presidential elector for Whig nominee Winfield Scott in 1852, and Republican nominee John C. Frémont in 1856.
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