George Henry Babbitt 1855-1863
George Henry Babbitt was born on June 17, 1819 to Charles and Abigail Babbitt in Taunton, Massachusetts. He married Seraphine Sumner Sanford in Rehoboth on December 7, 1840. Many regarded him as a “loyal Tauntonian [who] retained an active interest in the welfare of his native town during his entire life.”
After completing his education, Babbitt became a dry goods merchant, but strongly disliked this profession. In 1844 he was elected constable, and there were stories told of the many ‘scraps’ he was in while attempting to enforce the laws. Eventually, he did his job as constable so well, that we gained the attention of those in higher office in Massachusetts. On July, 15 1851, Governor George S. Boutwell appointed him Coroner. Later, Sheriff Lyman Dean of Attleboro appointed him to the role of Deputy Sheriff.
On March 6, 1855, Governor Henry J. Gardner appointed Babbitt to the position of Sheriff for a five year term. However, the law was changed in 1856 to make the role of Sheriff an elected position rather than an appointed one. Following this change, Sheriff Babbitt was elected to a term of three years in 1856, and was elected again for a similar term in 1859. While he was serving as Sheriff, Governor Gardner appointed him as a Commissioner to Qualify Public Officers on July 25, 1857. In 1860, Governor Nathaniel Banks appointed Babbitt as a Justice of the Peace for a seven-year term. His second term as Sheriff ended in 1863, thus ending his career as Sheriff.
Babbitt became dissatisfied with the distribution of taxation and was elected to the office of Assessor in 1869 for a three-year term. During this term, he discovered a large amount of property that had escaped the eyes of previous boards.
Babbitt ran for the office of Taunton mayor in 1871, but due to a list of enemies he had made throughout his time as Assessor, he lost. He tried again in 1872 but lost again. On his third attempt in 1873, he won the election. He took his seat as Chief Magistrate in January 1874 and was reelected in both 1875 and 1876. However, Babbitt lost his seat in 1876 and failed to win it back in 1877. After facing these political losses as well as personal ones (he lost his adult son and young grandson to sickness), he resolved to give up political life.
After his retirement, however, he became restless and uneasy, so he “reopened the scene of his first business venture, and made for himself a ‘Headquarters’ where he could ‘do something’, receive the friends of his active days, talk over the news of the day, criticize the acts of those in power and incidentally prod a delinquent office holder.”
After his death on November 23, 1893 (aged 74 years), many regarded Babbitt as the best public officer that ever served the people of his community.