(1818-1887) was born in Methuen, Massachusetts on June 18, 1818. His family was poor and at age eight he went to live with a neighbor, working on his farm and receiving little education. At sixteen he was free to hire himself out as a farm laborer for six dollars a month. In 1835 Bodwell began…
(1822-1912 ) born in Gorham on August 12, 1822, was descended from early immigrants. Both his paternal and maternal ancestors had emigrated from England to America in the 1600’s. He graduated from Bowdoin College in 1841 after attending Gorham Academy and receiving the benefit of private tutors. Initially teaching at academies in the South, he…
(1828-1898) a U.S. Representative, was born in Jefferson, Coos County, New Hampshire on November 2, 1828. He attended the common schools, and was graduated from Waterville College in 1853 and from the Albany (New York) Law School in 1856. His son, Frederick W. Plaisted was governor 1911-1913. Plaisted was admitted to the bar and commenced…
(1843-1897) , born in Freedom, was elected Governor by the Legislature after the disputed election of 1879 resulted in no majority at the polls. Although Davis, the Republican candidate from Corinth, received by far the most votes (68, 967 of 138,806 cast), the Legislature apparently elected at the same time refused to confirm his victory.…
(1813-1906) born in Lewiston on May 6, 1813, was Maine governor from 1879 to 1870. Educated at academies in Monmouth, Waterville, and Newcastle, he worked his way through Bowdoin College by teaching school, graduating in 1836. After attending medical school at Dartmouth and the Medical College of Ohio, he returned to Lewiston to open his…
was a Civil War general, formerly a Colonel in the 19th Maine Volunteers, and governor from 1876 through 1879. He was born in Fairfield on January 25, 1839, attended local schools, and graduated from Tufts College in 1859. In 1861, as Civil War threatened the country, Connor joined the 1st Vermont Regiment. He rose through…
(1832-1899) a U.S. Representative was born in Durham on February 15, 1832. He attended the common schools at Unity, Waterville Seminary, and Waterville College, now Colby College. Dingley was graduated from Dartmouth College in 1855, studied law and was admitted to the bar. He soon left the profession and became proprietor and editor of the…
(1819-1907) a U.S. Representative, was born in Woodstock on March 27, 1819 where he attended the common schools and engaged in agricultural pursuits. He later became a resident of nearby Paris. A member of the Maine House of Representatives in 1854, he served as speaker. A supporter of alcohol prohibition, in 1857 he spoke in…
(1828-1914) was born September 8, 1828, in Brewer the eldest of five children. He worked on his father’s farm and, like many other promising young men, taught school for a time. Entering Bowdoin College in Brunswick in 1848, Chamberlain studied the traditional classical curriculum and showed particular skill at languages. At First Parish Church, he…
(1811-1870), Governor of Maine from 1864 to 1867, was born in Augusta on February 27, 1811 in a politically active family with a military tradition. His father, General Samuel Cony, was the first Adjutant-General of Maine, holding that office for a decade, and was a representative of Augusta to the Massachusetts General Court. Educated at…
(1803-1885) governor of Maine 1863-1864, was born in that part of Canaan now Skowhegan on March 22, 1803. He was the great-grandson of Joseph Weston, one of the town’s first settlers. His brother, Stephen Coburn, was a member of Congress. After minimal schooling, including a brief stint at Bloomfield Academy, Coburn became an assistant to…
(1813-1883), a U.S. Representative and brother of Elihu Benjamin Washburn, Cadwallader Colden Washburn, and William Drew Washburn, was born in Livermore on June 6, 1813. (See more on the Washburn family at Norlands.) Washburn attended the common schools and was educated by private tutors, studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1834 and…
(1813-1883), a Senator from Maine and brother of Anson Peaslee Morrill, was born in Belgrade, May 3, 1813. He attended the district schools and Waterville (now Colby) College. He studied law; was admitted to the bar in 1839, and began practice in Readfield, then moved to Augusta in 1841. Initially a Democrat, the slavery…
(1783-1896) was born in Augusta on February 15, 1814. He was educated in the public schools and at a boys boarding school in Wiscasset. Williams graduated from Harvard College in 1834, attended Dame Law School in Cambridge for two years, and began his practice in 1837. As was his father, Williams was an ardent Democrat.…
Samuel Wells (1801-1868) was born in Durham, New Hampshire on August 15, 1801. He was a lawyer and began his practice in Waterville in 1816, moved to Hallowell in 1835 and to Portland in 1844. On September 28, 1847 Wells was appointed Associate Justice of the Maine Supreme Court by Governor Dana. A strong Democrat,…
(1803-1887), brother of Lot Myrick Morrill, a U.S. Representative, was born in Belgrade on June 10, 1803 and attended the district schools. Appointed postmaster at Dearborn, Kennebec County, he served from November 1, 1825 to June 3, 1841. He moved to Madison and then to Readfield in 1844, where he took charge of a…
(1805-1881) was born in Belfast on September 10, 1805. He was educated at Belfast Academy and graduated from Bowdoin College just before his eighteenth birthday. He was the first person born in Belfast to receive a college education. His contemporaries included Franklin Pierce, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry W. Longfellow, and William Pitt Fessenden, among other notables.…
John Hubbard (1794-1869) of Hallowell, was born in Readfield March 22, 1794. His father, a physician and farmer, though once prosperous, fell on hard times and lost much of his property. Hubbard had little high school education, but decided to improve himself by studying in his spare time. When he was nineteen, his father gave…
(1801-1881) was a U.S. Representative born in Wiscasset on May 10, 1801 where he attended the local schools. He moved to Belfast in 1815 and was employed as a clerk in the mercantile establishment of his uncle. Clerk of the Waldo County courts 1824-1836, Anderson studied law. Hugh Johnston Anderson was elected as a Democrat…
(1808-1867) born in Fryeburg on June 21, 1808. He was educated at Fryeburg Academy and later became a trustee of that institution. Dana became a business person rather than the lawyer his father had hoped he would be. Later he developed an interest in public affairs. A member of both houses of the Legislature, he…