Weston was born in Manchester, New Hampshire, and grew up helping on the family farm. He was educated in the district school, the Manchester Academy and the Piscataquog Academy. Determined to become a civil engineer, he taught school during the winters, and at the age of nineteen, was appointed assistant civil engineer of the Concord Railroad in 1846.[1]
Career
Promoted to the position of Chief Engineer in 1849, Weston was also performed the duties of road master and master of transportation of the Concord and the Manchester & Lawrence railroads. He surveyed and superintended the construction of the Concord water-works.[1]
Having secured the 1871 Democratic gubernatorial nomination, Weston was named by the legislature as the official governor after a close election.[5] During that same year, Dartmouth College bestowed an honorary Master of Arts degree upon him.[6] He served from June 14, 1871, to June 6, 1872. Failing in 1872 and 1873, he was successful in winning reelection in 1874 and served from June 3, 1874, to June 10, 1875. During his two terms, Democratic judges were appointed and an important railroad merger was authorized.[7]
1875 State Senate controversy
In 1875, in the final days of his term as governor, Weston ignited controversy by invalidating ballots to engineer a Democratic majority in the State Senate. In districts 2 and 4, Democrats James Priest and John Proctor narrowly placed first over their Republican opponents, Nathaniel Head and George Todd. However, neither Priest nor Proctor won majorities, which was required for election to the State Senate under the state constitution. If no candidate won a majority, the election would have been decided by the General Court, which, owing to the narrow Republican majority in the State House, would likely have elected Head and Todd.[8]
Accordingly, Weston exercised his constitutional power to "examine election results and issue summonses to the winners" and declared the Democratic candidates the rightful winners.[8] In district 2, Weston and the state executive council invalidated the 3,771 votes cast for "Natt Head" on the grounds that they "did not contain the full Christian name of the candidate voted for" and 3 votes cast for other candidates who did not live in the district. And in district 4, they excluded 2 votes cast for "G. E. Todd" because they did not "contain the full Christian name of the candidate voted for" and 59 votes cast for non-resident candidates. Weston issued summonses to Priest and Proctor, who were seated in the State Senate. The 7–5 majority in the State Senate then voted on party lines to reject a challenge to Priest's and Proctor's qualification. The Republican minority in the State Senate then requested an advisory opinion from the New Hampshire Supreme Court, which ultimately concluded that "the action of the senate is final."[9]
Death
Weston died in Manchester on May 8, 1895 (age 67 years, 254 days). He is interred at Pine Grove Cemetery, Manchester, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire.[10]
Family life
Son of Amos and Elizabeth Betsey Wilson Weston, he married Anna S. Gilmore on February 23, 1834; they had five children: Grace W., James Henry Weston, Edwin Bell, Anna Mabel, and Herman.[11]
^Clarke, Maurice (1875). Manchester: A Brief Record of Its Past and a Picture of Its Present, Including an Account of Its Settlement and of Its Growth as a Town and City; a History of Its Schools, Churches, Societies, Banks. J.B. Clarke. pp. 62–63.
^Weston, James (1888). History of New Hampshire. John Norris McClintock B. B. Russell, 1888 - New Hampshire. p. 657.
