He served as a soldier in the American Revolution and rose to the rank of sergeant as a member of Captain David Wheeler's Company in the Massachusetts militia regiment commanded by Benjamin Simonds. He was wounded and lost an arm at the Battle of Bennington in 1777, and received a pension from the state of Massachusetts.[2]
He was assistant secretary of the Vermont House of Representatives in 1784, and secretary pro tempore of Vermont's Governor's Council in 1785.
Buck moved to Norwich, Vermont in 1785. The town's first attorney, he also supported himself by carrying out the duties of town highway surveyor and pound keeper. He was a delegate to the 1791 convention which ratified the United States Constitution and made possible Vermont's admission to the Union as the 14th state. In 1792 he served on the state Council of Censors, which met periodically to review acts of the Vermont House and ensure their constitutionality.
He was elected as a Federalist to the Fourth Congress, serving from March 4, 1795, to March 3, 1797.[5] He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1796.
In 1805 Buck moved to Chelsea, Vermont, where he practiced law and again served as a member of the Vermont House of Representatives in 1806 and 1807. Among the students who studied law with Buck was William A. Palmer.
While living in Chelsea Buck was imprisoned for debt. He was given a parole called "freedom of the prison", which enabled him to work and raise money to pay off his creditors.
Death
Buck died in Chelsea on August 16, 1816, and was interred at the Old Chelsea Cemetery in Chelsea.
Family
In 1786 Buck married Content Ashley of Norwich. They were the parents of eleven children, seven of whom lived to adulthood.
