George F. Edmunds

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George F. Edmunds

George Franklin Edmunds (February 1, 1828–February 27, 1919) was a U.S. Senator from Vermont from 1866 to 1891. He was born in Richmond, Vermont. He began the practice of law in 1849. He was a member of the Vermont House of Representatives in 1854, 1855, 1857, 1858, and 1859, acting for the last two years as speaker, and was a member and president pro tem of the state Senate during 1861-1862. In 1866 he became a member, as a Republican, of the United States Senate, where he remained until 1891, when he resigned in order to have more time for the practice of his profession. He took an active part in the attempt to impeach President Johnson. He was influential in providing for the electoral commission to decide the disputed presidential election of 1876, and became one of the commissioners. In the national Republican nominating conventions of 1880 and 1884 he was a candidate for the presidential nomination. From 1882 to 1885 he was president pro tem of the Senate. As senator he was conspicuous on account of his legal and parliamentary attainments, his industry and his liberal opinions. He was the author of the so-called Edmunds Act (22 March 1882) for the suppression of polygamy in Utah, and of the antitrust law of 1890, popularly known as the Sherman Act. From 1890 to 1891 he served as chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee to Establish a University of the United States.

This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.

One of Burlington, Vermont's two middle schools is known as the George F. Edmunds Middle School.

Preceded by Solomon Foot	United States Senator (Class 1) from Vermont 1866–1891 Served alongside: Luke P. Poland, Justin S. Morrill	Succeeded by Redfield Proctor
Preceded by David Davis	*President pro tempore* of the United States Senate** March 3, 1883–March 3, 1885	Succeeded by John Sherman