a Bennington Historical Society presentation

He may be an early Vermonter you never heard of, but Moses Robinson played many important roles. A member of the first family to settle in Bennington, he served as town clerk for 20 years. Then he was elected governor and was also Vermont’s first U.S. senator and chief justice of the state Supreme Court. Robert Mello’s biography of him is one of Vermont’s most important. Mello will discuss Robinson’s role in promoting the primacy of democracy, the sanctity of the rule of law, the independence of the courts and the inviolability of elections, all subjects of importance still today.

Robert A. Mello has had a life-long fascination with American history and the law, especially the early history of Vermont. He is a retired Superior Court Judge, a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, and a former trustee of the Vermont Historical Society. He is also the author of two books: Last Stand of the Red Spruce (Island Press, 1987) and Moses Robinson and the Founding of Vermont (Vermont Historical Society, 2014).

The Bennington Historical Society is a volunteer-run program of Bennington Museum. The BHS offers its programs at no charge with support from Nexus Consulting. You can support the efforts of the BHS to share the history of our region by making a donation.