Peter Olcott

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title: "Peter Olcott" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1733-births", "1808-deaths", "people-from-norwich,-vermont", "lieutenant-governors-of-vermont", "people-of-vermont-in-the-american-revolution", "justices-of-the-vermont-supreme-court", "people-from-pre-statehood-vermont", "people-from-bolton,-connecticut"] description: "American judge (1733–1808)" topic_path: "science/biology" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Olcott" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American judge (1733–1808) ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox officeholder"]

Field	Value
name	Peter Olcott
image	Peter Olcott.jpg
office1	1st Lieutenant Governor of the state of Vermont
term_start1	1791
term_end1	1794
predecessor1	Himself (as lieutenant governor of the Vermont Republic)
successor1	Jonathan Hunt
office2	6th Lieutenant Governor of Vermont
(Independent Republic)
term_start2	1790
term_end2	1791
predecessor2	Joseph Marsh
successor2	Himself (as Lieutenant Governor of the state of Vermont)
birth_date
birth_place	Bolton, Connecticut Colony
death_date
death_place	Hanover, New Hampshire, US
resting_place	Meeting House Hill Cemetery
Norwich
Windsor County, Vermont
spouse	Sarah Mills Olcott
children	Pelatiah Olcott
Peter Olcott
Timothy, Olcott
Roswell Olcott
Sarah Olcott
Margaret Olcott
Margaret Olcott
Mills Olcott
Martha
profession	Judge
Politician
serviceyears	1781 to 1788
battles	American Revolution
Bennington
Saratoga
unit	Vermont militia's Third Brigade
rank	Colonel
Brigadier General
::

|name = Peter Olcott |image = Peter Olcott.jpg |office1 = 1st Lieutenant Governor of the state of Vermont |term_start1 = 1791 |term_end1 = 1794 |predecessor1 = Himself (as lieutenant governor of the Vermont Republic) |successor1 = Jonathan Hunt |office2 = 6th Lieutenant Governor of Vermont (Independent Republic) |term_start2 = 1790 |term_end2 = 1791 |predecessor2 = Joseph Marsh |successor2 = Himself (as Lieutenant Governor of the state of Vermont) |birth_date = |birth_place = Bolton, Connecticut Colony |death_date = |death_place = Hanover, New Hampshire, US |resting_place = Meeting House Hill Cemetery Norwich Windsor County, Vermont |spouse = Sarah Mills Olcott |children = Pelatiah Olcott Peter Olcott Timothy, Olcott Roswell Olcott Sarah Olcott Margaret Olcott Margaret Olcott Mills Olcott Martha |profession = Judge Politician |branch = |serviceyears = 1781 to 1788 |battles = American Revolution Bennington Saratoga |unit = Vermont militia's Third Brigade |rank = Colonel Brigadier General Peter Olcott (April 25, 1733 – September 12, 1808) was a Vermont public official and military officer who served as a brigadier general in the colonial militia, the sixth lieutenant governor of the Vermont Republic, and the first lieutenant governor of the state of Vermont.

Early life

Peter was born in Bolton, Connecticut Colony, and was the first of four children (2 sons and 2 daughters) born of Titus Olcott and his wife Damarus Eggleston, widow of John Marshell.

Olcott moved to Norwich, Province of New Hampshire, in the early 1770s and served in numerous local offices, including Overseer of the Poor, Justice of the Peace and County Judge.

Career

Olcott was active during the American Revolution. He served as Sequestration Commissioner for Tory Property in 1777 and was a member of the Vermont House of Representatives in 1778. He was a colonel in the Vermont militia, and his regiment took part in the Battles of Bennington and Saratoga. From 1781 to 1788 Olcott was commander of the Vermont militia's Third Brigade with the rank of brigadier general.

Olcott was a member of the Governor's Council in 1779, and again from 1781 to 1790. He served on the Vermont Supreme Court from 1782 to 1784. He was Vermont's lieutenant governor from 1790 to 1794, and served in the Vermont House again in 1801. Olcott was also a trustee of Dartmouth College from 1788 until his death.

Death

Olcott died in Hanover, Grafton County, New Hampshire, on September 12, 1808 (age 75 years, 140 days). He is interred at Meeting House Hill Cemetery, Norwich, Windsor County, Vermont.

Family life

Son of Deacon Titus Olcott, he married Sarah Mills on October 11, 1759, and they had nine children, Pelatiah, Peter, Timothy, Roswell, Sarah, Margaret, Margaret, Mills, and Martha.

References

References

1. [https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_Pag3AQAAIAAJ/page/n296 A History of Norwich, Vermont], by Henry Villiers Partridge, 1905, pages 229 to 231
2. [https://books.google.com/books?id=mL41AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA374 Early History of Vermont], by LaFayette Wilbur, Volume 2, 1900, pages 374 to 375
3. [https://books.google.com/books?id=_L0MAAAAYAAJ&pg=PP3 Men of Vermont: An Illustrated Biographical History of Vermonters and Sons of Vermont], compiled by Jacob G. Ullery, 1894, page 174
4. [https://books.google.com/books?id=KLY3AQAAIAAJ&pg=PA241 Records of the Governor and Council of the State of Vermont], published by E. P. Walton, Montpelier, Volume 1, 1873, page 241
5. [https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_UXYUAAAAYAAJ/page/n248 Vermont: The Green Mountain State], by Walter Hill Crockett, Volume 2, 1921, page 222
6. [https://books.google.com/books?id=Q8GEAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA447 A History of Dartmouth College and the Town of Hanover, New Hampshire], by Frederick Chase, Volume 1, 1891, page 447
7. [https://books.google.com/books?id=O1wSAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA270 The New Hampshire Repository], printed by Alfred Prescott, Volumes 1-2, 1845, page 270
8. [https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_qXktAAAAYAAJ/page/n31 Descendants of Thomas Olcott], by Nathaniel Goodwin, 1845, page 28
9. Personal observation, Find A Grave contributor LadyGoshen, November 8, 2011
10. (1845). "Descendants of Thomas Olcott: One of the First Settlers of Hartford, Connecticut". Press of Case, Tiffany & Burnham, 1845.

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