John Lement Bacon (June 18, 1862 – April 27, 1909) was a Vermont banker, businessman and politician who served as State Treasurer.
Early life John L. Bacon was born in Chelsea, Vermont on June 18, 1862. He attended school in Chelsea and graduated from St. Johnsbury Academy. In 1881 he began a career in banking at the First National Bank of Chelsea of which his father was President, and he became Cashier in 1883.Hiram Carleton, Genealogical and Family History of the State of Vermont, 1903, pages 216-217
Early career A Republican, Bacon served as Orange County Treasurer from 1884 to 1885.The Vermonter magazine, Republican Nominees, July 1900, page 231
When the National Bank of White River Junction was organized in 1886, Bacon relocated to Hartford and was appointed Cashier (while Maxwell Evarts was President), and he held this position until his death.Chas. R. Cummings, The Vermonter magazine, A Bank of Courtesy, 1918, page 8
From 1891 to 1898 Bacon served as Hartford's Town Treasurer.The Vermonter magazine, The Republican Nominees for State Office, July, 1898, page 268 From 1892 to 1894 he served in the Vermont House of Representatives.The Standard: A Weekly Insurance Newspaper, Vermont Legislators go Home for Big Feast, Volume LI, November 28, 1902, page 495
He was also involved in several businesses, including the Ottaquechee Woolen Company and the Fairground Railroad Company.Vermont Railroad Commissioner, Biennial Report, 1892, page 708
State Treasurer Bacon was elected state treasurer in 1898, and served until 1906.Clerk, Vermont House of Representatives, State of Vermont: State Treasurers, 2012
At the time, Vermont's treasurer and secretary of state also served as Vermont's insurance commissioners, and Bacon was elected secretary, vice president and president of the National Convention of Insurance Commissioners.National Convention of Insurance Commissioners, Annual Meeting Proceedings, 1995, page xxxNational Convention of Insurance Commissioners, Annual Meeting Proceedings, 1905, page 23The Spectator Company (New York), The Insurance Year Book: Fire and Marine, 1903, page 33Vermont Insurance Commissioners, Annual Report for 1904, 1905, page xxiii
Later career After serving as state treasurer, Bacon continued his banking and business career. In 1908 he returned to the Vermont House and was appointed chairman of the Appropriations Committee.Vermont Historical Society, Annual Meeting Proceedings, 1909-1910, Necrology: John L. Bacon, 1910, page 65
Death and burial Bacon died in Hartford on April 27, 1909.The Standard, A Weekly Insurance Newspaper, Death notice, John L. Bacon, May 1, 1909, page 449 He was interred in a family vault at Hartford Point Cemetery.Hartford Congregational Church, The Old and the New magazine, Hartford Cemetery Association, December 15, 1899
Home In Hartford Bacon purchased the house and farm that had once been owned by Lieutenant Governor Joseph Marsh, and christened the property "Marshland."Hartford Historical Society, The Gateway of Vermont: Hartford and Its Villages, 1903, pages 29-31 The home still stands and has been operated as the Quechee Inn at Marshland Farm.The Quechee Inn at Marshfield Farm, Home page, retrieved January 14, 2014
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