 At the Republican State Convention on June 17, 1896, Grout was narrowly nominated as the party's candidate, received 339 votes compared to William W. Stickney's 336.He easily beat his Democratic opponent in the general election, J. H. Jackson, receiving 54,426 votes to Jackson's 14,855.Grout's term was highlighted by enhancement to the state's educational system, the establishment of the post of Vermont Attorney General, a visit to the Tennessee Centennial Exposition.