First Ladies of Cavendish: Political/Postmaster & Other Town Positions

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While this list was initially compiled by Barbara Kingsbury and Sandra Stearns, we have added to the list of “First Ladies of Cavendish.”

 Postmaster/Cavendish: The post office in Cavendish was started in 1800 with Salmon Dutton as postmaster.

Marion C. White 1904

Postmaster/Proctorsville: The post office in Proctorsville was started in 1821 with John Proctor as postmaster

Martha S. Taylor 1887

Town Clerk: The first recorded town meeting in Cavendish was held March 12, 1782. Josiah Fletcher was elected town clerk.

Marion C. White 1935

Town Treasurer: The first town treasurer elected in1782 was Salmon Dutton. This job remained separate from the town clerk position for many years. Marion White was elected town clerk in 1935 but George H. Parker was treasurer until 1944. Marion carried both positions during the rest of her service as town clerk until 1954. Ina B. Butler was elected town clerk in 1955 but Marion continued to be treasurer until 1960. Since 1961, both positions have been filled by the same person.

Marion C. White 1945

Selectmen: John Coffeen signed the warrant for the first recorded town meeting in 1782 as selectman. Elected to serve in 1782 were Salmon Dutton, Ephraim Foster and Josiah Fletcher.

Gertrude Foster 1918

Overseer of the Poor: This position was first recorded in the 1859 town report, filled by Daniel H. Wheeler

Vera Archacki 1940

Town Grand Juror: In 1782 Joseph Rice was elected Grand Juryman.

Gertrude Jewell and Abbie Moore 1918

Town Agent: This position was not recorded in town reports before 1907. From 1907 until 1916 this position was filled by the selectmen. George A. Grant was elected in 1917.

Lucinda Lovell MD 1918

Listers: The first listers recorded at the first town meeting in 1782 were Jesse Spaulding, David Wetherbee nad Isaac Baldwin.

Lucille Coombs and Beverly Stowell 1968

Library Trustees: The first recorded representatives for the two libraries was in the 1872 town report-Luke Parkhurst was for Cavendish and Kendall Taylor for Proctorsville

Erminie Pollard 1949

Trustee of Public Funds: This was first recorded in the 1892 town report-John H. Stearns

Eva Goodrich 1947

Town Representative: Though no record of a town meeting exists before 1782, John Coffeen represented Cavendish at the Convention in Windsor on June 4, 1777, which the name of this state from New Connecticut to Vermont.

Erminie Pollard 1950

Moderator: Salmon Dutton was elected moderator at the first recorded town meeting in 1782. For several years a moderator was chosen at each meeting. To date there has been no woman as moderator of town meeting.

School Directors: At first each individual school had its own board. Later all town schools except Duttonsville Independent District were under the control of one board-about 1893-Sanford E. Emery

Marcia Amsden-Lucinda Lovell was appointed replace O.C. Blanchard who moved of town that year after being elected. 1918

Green Mountain Union High School: This union between Chester, Cavendish and Andover was formed December 12, 1967.

MaryAnn Benoit (Westcott) 1968

Green Mountain Unified School District: The GMUSD was formed in response to Act 46 in 2017.

Kate Lamphere 2017

Superintendent of Schools: This position was first listed in the 1859 town report-Henry D. Saunders.

Mrs. E. G. (Nelia) White 1886

Cemetery Commissioner: This was first listed in the 1905 town report-Henry D. Saunders

Wanda Wierzbicki 1979

Justice of the Peace: This position was first listed in the 1982 town report.

Katherine Moore1982

Auditor: This position was listed in the 1859 town report and filled by Thomas Whitcomb, Joseph Adams, and Joseph White.

Mary A. Parker 1930

Tax Collector: This office has been filled since 1782-Thomas Baldwin

Vera Archacki 1943

Constable: First elected in 1782-Noadiah Russell-the position was never held by a woman and was abolished in 2018.

Women Fire Fighters: The Proctorsville Volunteer Fire Department  (PVFD)was formed in 1833. The first woman fire fighter was Donna Blanchard in 1985. She was followed closely by her sister Amy. In 2016, Karlene Glidden becomes the first female volunteer to achieve Life Membership and in 2018, Lt Amy Perry becomes the first woman to be an officer of PVFD.

Fire District #2 was officially formed in 1957. Until that time, the town relied on the internal fire team from Gay Brothers Mill and PVFD. First female fire fighter was Lisa Ballentine in 1981.