He was elected to the Vermont House of Representatives in 1884 and 1886. From 1890 to 1896 he was Washington County State's Attorney; he was succeeded by Fred A. Howland. He served as a state Railroad Commissioner from 1896 to 1898 and was Commission Chairman from 1897 to 1898. Stanton won election to the Vermont Senate in 1900. In 1902 he won election as Lieutenant Governor and served until 1904. Because a Local Option candidate made the election a three-way race Stanton with 47.2% did not receive the popular vote majority required by the Vermont constitution, so he was officially chosen by the state legislature.[5][6][7][8]
In 1908 Stanton was narrowly defeated for the Republican nomination for Governor by George H. Prouty.[9][10]
Later career
After losing the nomination for Governor Stanton was elected by the Vermont Assembly to serve as a Judge of the Superior Court, filling the vacancy created when Chief Judge Seneca Haselton was appointed to the Vermont Supreme Court and the other Superior judges advanced in seniority. He remained on the bench until his death, and attained by seniority the position of chief judge of the Superior Court.[11][12] He was succeeded as chief judge by Fred M. Butler, who later served as an associate justice of the Vermont Supreme Court.[13][14] He was succeeded as a judge on the Superior Court by Julius A. Willcox, who also later served on the Vermont Supreme Court.[15]
^William Adams, Gazetteer of Washington County, Vt., 1783-1889, 1889, pages 456-457. Stanton was named for his maternal grandfather. He was the son of George B. Stanton and Lucretia Silloway. Lucretia's father was Zedekiah Silloway.
