Redfield Proctor and the Division of Rutland

Nothing in Redfield Proctor’s early life suggested greatness. He almost died in the Civil War, squandered his inheritance and disliked farming and practicing law. But in 1869, a scheming woman enlisted his help in gaining control of a bankrupt marble mill. Proctor turned it into the largest marble operation in the world, creating his greatest legacy–Washington, D.C., with its many marble monuments and buildings. Using his fortune, he founded a political dynasty that elected four Proctors as governor, handpicked a president and made Proctor a cabinet secretary and a U.S. senator. Yet to get to the national stage, he had to divide a town. Linda Goodspeed presents his story in this historical novel about the passions and ruthless ambition that characterized him and his time and changed Rutland forever.