From Vermont, Its Government, 1904-05 (author's collection.)
Another in a line of oddly named Vermont state representatives profiled recently, Maturin Edson Wilcox was a lifelong resident of Benson in Rutland County who in 1903 was elected to one term in the state legislature. Despite the dearth of sources mentioning Wilcox, a copy of "Vermont, Its Government, 1904-05" in this author's possession fielded not only a small amount of biographical information on him but also the rare portrait above. Born in Benson on October 19, 1850, Maturin Edson Wilcox was the son of Jabez and Jane (Gibbs) Wilcox.
A student in the common schools of his native county, Wilcox married on Christmas Day 1872 to Isaviah Maria Sherman (1850-1934). The couple was wed for one day shy of fifty-seven years, and this lengthy union produced the following children: Guy Sherman (1876-1954), Claude (died in infancy in 1885), Clyde (1885-1965), Lau Retta (1887-1966), and Rival Jones (1891-1954).
Maturin E. Wilcox was a farmer for all his life and prior to his legislative win held local political office, serving as a school director and a justice of the peace in Benson. In 1903 he was elected as an independent to the Vermont house of representatives and his one term (1904-1906) saw him sit on the committee on Town Lines. Following his term Wilcox again served as a justice of the peace, continuing in office until at least 1915.
Little else could be located on Wilcox's life, excepting notice of his death at age 79 on December 24, 1929, one day before his fifty-seventh wedding anniversary. His wife Isaviah survived him by four years, and following her death in June 1934 was interred alongside him at the Fairview Cemetery in Benson.
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