Park Pollard
A grainy image of a stern-faced, balding man with glasses.
Pollard in 1942
Member of the
Vermont House of Representatives
from Cavendish
In office
January 4, 1933 – January 8, 1935
Preceded byLeon A. Gay
Succeeded byRichard P. Parker
In office
January 5, 1921 – January 6, 1925
Preceded byIra A. Belknap
Succeeded byBenjamin J. Hoxie
In office
January 3, 1917 – January 7, 1919
Preceded byGeorge H. Parker
Succeeded byIra A. Belknap
Member of the
Vermont Public Service Commission
In office
September 3, 1913 – February 4, 1915
Serving with Robert C. Bacon, William R. Warner
Preceded byGeorge H. Babbitt
Succeeded byWalter A. Dutton
Chairman of the Vermont Democratic Party
In office
September 29, 1916 – June 12, 1942
Preceded byJames E. Kennedy
Succeeded byCharles P. McDevitt
Personal details
Born(1869-06-05)June 5, 1869
Proctorsville, Vermont
DiedDecember 26, 1956(1956-12-26) (aged 87)
Waterbury, Vermont
Resting placeHillcrest Cemetery, Proctorsville, Vermont
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Edith Mary Johnson (m. 1894)
Julia Rose (McNulty) Rollinson (m. 1931)
RelationsCalvin Coolidge (cousin)
Children1
OccupationMerchant
Pharmacist

Park H. Pollard (June 5, 1869 – December 26, 1956) was an American politician and businessman who served from 1912 to 1942 as chairman of the Democratic Party of Vermont, as well as several terms in the Vermont House of Representatives where he represented the town of Cavendish. He was the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate in 1923, and for Governor of Vermont in 1930 and 1942.

Early life and career

Park Hiram Pollard was born in Cavendish, Vermont on June 5, 1869.[1] He attended the schools of Proctorsville, Vermont, Vermont Academy and Black River Academy.[1] Pollard apprenticed as a pharmacist and became the co-owner and co-operator of Pollard Brother's Store in Cavendish.[2] In addition to selling medicines, Pollard's offered a “compounding” pharmacy service, which made customized medications for humans and animals.[2] As a general store, it carried a wide variety of products, including food, tobacco, shoes and boots, carpets, rope, petroleum products, and windows and window shades.[2]

Active in politics as a Democrat, Pollard served in local offices, including town lister, town selectman, and trustee of the village of Proctorsville.[1] During World War I, he served on the Windsor County draft exemption board and was appointed U.S. Explosives Inspector for Vermont.[1][lower-alpha 1]

Statewide political career

Despite being a Democrat in an era when Republicans won all elections for statewide office, Pollard was appointed by Governor Allen M. Fletcher to a seat on the Vermont Public Service Commission from 1913 to 1915.[1][3] Pollard became chairman of the Vermont Democratic Party in 1916.[4] He was first elected to the Vermont House of Representatives in 1916, representing the town of Cavendish. In April 1917 Pollard was nominated to the Vermont Board of Control by Governor Horace F. Graham, but his nomination was blocked by the Vermont Senate.[5][lower-alpha 2] This blockage was denounced by some commentators as an act of petty partisanship, but other observers contended that the Senate's decision was motivated by remarks Pollard had made on the House floor.[5]

Pollard was not re-elected in 1918, but was elected again in 1920.[3] While in the state house he was noted for his ability to block legislation, due to his strong ties with rural representatives.[6] Pollard's legislative focus was on what he deemed unnecessary spending, and earned a reputation as a fiscal conservative.[7]

Pollard was the Democratic nominee in the 1923 special election to fill the U.S. Senate seat that had been vacated by the death of William P. Dillingham. Due to Vermont's traditionally Republican lean, he was considered to have next to no chance of winning.[8] Pollard attempted to define the race around the issue of Prohibition, taking a "wet" stance that advocated for amending the Volstead Act to be less restrictive, and attempting to appeal to supporters of wet Republican John W. Redmond, who had been defeated by "dry" candidate Porter H. Dale in the Republican primary.[9] Pollard was defeated by Dale, 66%-33%.[9]

Pollard endorsed John W. Davis for President in 1924.[4] He was nominated by both the Democratic and Republican parties for re-election as state representative that year, but declined the nominations for unspecified personal reasons.[10]

Pollard was the Democratic nominee for Governor in 1930, once again running as a wet. During the campaign, he favored the total repeal of the Eighteenth Amendment and the Volstead Act.[11] He lost heavily to Lieutenant Governor Stanley C. Wilson. Pollard was again the Democratic nominee for Governor in 1942, losing to incumbent Governor William H. Wills, and stepped down as party chair that same year.[7]

Death

Pollard died in a Waterbury nursing home on December 26, 1955.[3] He received Masonic funeral honors, and was buried at Hillcrest Cemetery in Proctorsville.[12]

Personal life

Pollard was the son of Don Carlos Pollard and Sarah (Moor) Pollard.[13] He was a first cousin of Calvin Coolidge; Pollard's mother was the sister of Coolidge's mother Victoria Jospephine Moor.[8][14] Pollard married Edith Mary Johnson in 1894; they were the parents of a daughter, Minnie.[3][15] Edith Pollard died in 1923,[15] and in 1931 Pollard married Julia Rose (McNulty) Rollinson.[16]

Notes

  1. ↑ Explosives inspectors oversaw the storage and security of explosives by users including mines and construction projects in order to ensure they were not stolen or misused during wartime.
  2. ↑ the Board of Control was empowered to investigate state spending and make cost savings recommendations to the legislature.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Black, Harry A. (1921). Vermont Legislative Directory. Montpelier, VT: Vermont Secretary of State. p. 561 – via HathiTrust.
  2. 1 2 3 "Pollards Store's teenage pharmacist with the Cavendish Historical Society". The Vermont Journal. Ludlow, VT. August 9, 2021. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Park Pollard, 86, Dies; Leader of State Democrats". Bennington Banner. December 27, 1955. Retrieved September 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. 1 2 "Park Pollard is Davis Man". Vermont Journal. July 25, 1924. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
  5. 1 2 "The Refusal of the Senate". The Enterprise and Vermonter. Vergennes, Vermont. April 12, 1917. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
  6. ↑ "Park Pollard". Vermont Standard. October 5, 1922. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
  7. 1 2 "Pollard Out; McDevitt in Command". The Brattleboro Reformer. June 16, 1942. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
  8. 1 2 "Bold Park Pollard". Boston Herald. August 17, 1923. Retrieved September 9, 2022 – via Brattleboro Reformer.
  9. 1 2 "Rum and the Vermonters: Vermont and Democracy". Vermont Standard. October 25, 1923. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
  10. ↑ "Park Pollard not a Candidate". Vermont Standard. October 2, 1924. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
  11. ↑ "Park Pollard's Declaration". The Vermont Tribune. July 4, 1930. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
  12. ↑ "P. H. Pollard Rites Held In Proctorsville". Rutland Herald. Rutland, VT. December 30, 1955. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ↑ Marquis, Albert Nelson, ed. (1916). Who's Who In New England (Second ed.). Chicago, IL: A. N. Marquis. p. 862 – via Google Books.
  14. ↑ Kingsbury, Barbara B. (1994). Chubb Hill Farm and Cavendish, Vermont: A Family and Town History, 1876-1960. Cavendish, VT: Cavendish Historical Society. p. 101 – via Google Books.
  15. 1 2 "Mrs. Park Pollard, Proctorsville, Dies". Vermont Standard. Woodstock, VT. May 10, 1923. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ↑ "Park H. Pollard Weds Julia M'Nulty". Brattleboro Reformer. Brattleboro, VT. October 21, 1931. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
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