Cullen Sawtelle (1805-1887) a U.S. Representative, was born in Norridgewock on September 25, 1805. He received his early education under private tutors and was graduated from Bowdoin College in 1825, studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1828 and practiced in Norridgewock until 1841.
In 1845 Sawtelle built the classic Greek Revival Temple style “Sophie May” house, home to author Rebecca Clarke, in Norridgewock. It is now on the National Register of Historic Places in Norridgewock. He was Register of Probate (1830-1838), and a member of the Maine State Senate (1842-1844), then was elected as a Democrat to the Twenty-ninth Congress (March 4, 1845-March 3, 1847). He was chairman of the Committee on Revisal and Unfinished Business (Twenty-ninth Congress).
He was later elected to the Thirty-first Congress (March 4, 1849-March 3, 1851) and was chairman of the Committee on Revolutionary Claims (Thirty-first Congress). An attorney and credit manager for several firms in New York City from 1852 to 1882, he died in Englewood, New Jersey on November 10, 1887, with interment in Brookside Cemetery.
Additional resources
Cullen Sawtelle Congressional Biography: https://bioguideretro.congress.gov/Home/MemberDetails?memIndex=S000085 (accessed January, 2021)