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The Road to Civil War

Maine Delegation

This is one of the 45 delegations in the convention, accounting for 16 of 449 people who took part.

Members (16):

Name Visualize Details Delegations
Stephen Coburn Visualize (November 11, 1817 — July 4, 1882) Stephen Coburn, a Representative from Maine; born in Bloomfield (now Skowhegan), Maine, on November 11, 1817; attended Waterville and China Academies; was graduated from Waterville (now Colby) College, Waterville, Maine, in 1839; taught a plantation school in Tarboro, N.C., in 1839 and 1840; principal of Bloomfield (Maine) Academy 1840-1844; studied law at the Harvard Law School; was admitted to the bar in 1845 and commenced practice in Skowhegan; member of the State board of education in 1849 and 1850; delegate to several Republican State conventions; elected as a Republican to the Thirty-sixth Congress on November 6, 1860, to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Israel Washburn, Jr., and served from January 2 to March 3, 1861; was not a candidate for the Thirty-seventh Congress, that election having been held in September 1860, previous to his election to the Thirty-sixth Congress; member of the peace convention of 1861 held in Washington, D.C., in an effort to devise means to prevent the impending war; resumed the practice of law; postmaster of Skowhegan from July 25, 1868, to January 23, 1877; was drowned in the Kennebec River, at Skowhegan, Maine, July 4, 1882; interment in South Cemetery, Skowhegan, Maine. [Source: “Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774 - Present,” available at https://bioguide.congress.gov/search/bio/C000559] Maine Delegation (This negotiation)
Samuel C. Fessenden Visualize (March 7, 1815 — April 18, 1882) Samuel Clement Fessenden, (brother of Thomas Amory Deblois Fessenden, brother of William Pitt Fessenden), a Representative from Maine; born in New Gloucester, Cumberland County, Maine, March 7, 1815; pursued classical studies and was graduated from Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine, in 1834 and from Bangor (Maine) Theological Seminary in 1837; was ordained and installed as pastor of the Second Congregational Church, Thomaston, Maine, 1837-1856; studied law; was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in 1858; judge of the Rockland municipal court; elected as a Republican to the Thirty-seventh Congress (March 4, 1861-March 3, 1863); was not a candidate for renomination in 1862 to the Thirty-eighth Congress; examiner in the United States Patent Office 1865-1879; United States consul at St. John, New Brunswick, 1879-1881; died in Stamford, Conn., on April 18, 1882; interment in Woodland Cemetery. [Source: “Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774 - Present,” available at https://bioguide.congress.gov/search/bio/F000097] Maine Delegation (This negotiation)
William P. Fessenden Visualize (16 October, 1806 -- 8 September, 1869) Fessenden was an American lawyer and politician. Born in Boscawen, Merrimack County, N.H., Fessenden moved to Maine and studied law. After admittance to the bar in 1827, Fessenden was a member of the State house of representatives in 1832 and 1840. Fessenden was elected as a Whig to the Twenty-seventh Congress and later was elected as a Whig to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy in the term beginning March 4, 1853, caused by the failure of the legislature to elect. He was reelected in 1859 as a Republican, serving from February 10, 1854 to July 1, 1864. [Source: 'Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774- Present', available at http://bioguide.congress.gov/biosearch/biosearch.asp] Maine Delegation (This negotiation) , Maine Delegation (United States Thirteenth Amendment 1863-65) , Maine Delegation (United States Fourteenth Amendment & The Civil Rights Act of 1866) , Maine Delegation (The Civil Rights Act of 1875) , Maine Delegation (United States Fifteenth Amendment)
Stephen C. Foster Visualize (December 24, 1799 — October 5, 1872) Stephen Clark Foster, a Representative from Maine; born in Machias, Maine, December 24, 1799; attended the common schools; learned the blacksmith's trade and subsequently became a shipbuilder; member of the State house of representatives 1834-1837; member of the State senate in 1840, and served as president; again elected to the State house of representatives in 1847; elected as a Republican to the Thirty-fifth and Thirty-sixth Congresses (March 4, 1857-March 3, 1861); member of the peace convention of 1861 held in Washington, D.C., in an effort to devise means to prevent the impending war; died in Pembroke, Washington County, Maine, October 5, 1872; interment in Forest Hill Cemetery. [Source: “Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774 - Present,” available at https://bioguide.congress.gov/search/bio/F000312] Maine Delegation (This negotiation)
Ezra B. French Visualize (September 23, 1810 — April 24, 1880) Ezra Bartlett French, a Representative from Maine; born in Landaff, Grafton County, N.H., September 23, 1810; attended the common schools and pursued an academic course; studied law in Bath, N.H., and Plymouth, N.H.; was admitted to the bar in 1833 and commenced practice in Portland and Waldoboro, Maine; moved to Noblesboro (later Damariscotta), Maine, and continued practice; member of the State house of representatives 1838-1840; served in the State senate 1842-1845; secretary of state of Maine 1845-1850; bank commissioner; newspaper editor in 1856; assisted in organizing the Republican Party in 1856; elected as a Republican to the Thirty-sixth Congress (March 4, 1859-March 3, 1861); was not a candidate for renomination in 1860; member of the peace convention of 1861 held in Washington, D.C., in an effort to devise means to prevent the impending war; appointed Second Auditor of the Treasury August 3, 1861, by President Lincoln, and continued during the administrations of Presidents Johnson, Grant, and Hayes, serving until his death in Washington, D.C., April 24, 1880; interment in Hillside Cemetery, Damariscotta, Maine. [Source: “Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774 - Present,” available at https://bioguide.congress.gov/search/bio/F000377] Maine Delegation (This negotiation)
John N. Goodwin Visualize "(October 18, 1824 -- April 29, 1887) John Noble Goodwin was a lawyer, public servant, chief justice, governor, and American politician. Goodwin was born in South Berwick, York County, Maine and moved to Arizona in 1863. John studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1848. He served as a member of State senate in 1854, appointed chief justice of Arizona Territory (August 21, 1863), served as first governor of the Territory, and entered the territory and formally proclaimed its organization at Navajo Springs (December 29, 1867). He served as a Republican from Maine to the 37th Congress (March 4, 1861 - March 3, 1863) and was elected as a delegate to the 39th Congress (March 4, 1865 - March 3, 1867), was not reelected in 1862 or 1866). [Source: 'biographical Directory of the United States Congress 1774 - Present', available at https://bioguideretro.congress.gov/Home/MemberDetails?memIndex=G000301]" Maine Delegation (This negotiation) , Arizona Territory Delegation (United States Fourteenth Amendment & The Civil Rights Act of 1866)
Hannibal Hamlin Visualize (27 August, 1809 -- 4 July, 1891) Hamlin was an American lawyer and politician. Hamlin served as the Vice President of the United States on the ticket with Abraham Lincoln from 1861-1865. Born in Oxford County, Maine, Hamlin studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1833. Hamlin held various local political positions and was elected as a Democrat to the Twenty-eighth and Twenty-ninth Congresses. Hamlin was also elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate in 1848 and was reelected in 1850. Hamlin was elected to the United States Senate as a Republican and served from March 4th, 1857, until his resignation to become Vice President. [Source: 'Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774- Present', available at http://bioguide.congress.gov/biosearch/biosearch.asp] Maine Delegation (This negotiation) , United States Delegation (United States Thirteenth Amendment 1863-65)
Anson P. Morrill Visualize (June 10, 1803 — July 4, 1887) Anson Peaslee Morrill, (brother of Lot Myrick Morrill), a Representative from Maine; born in Belgrade, Maine, June 10, 1803; attended the district schools; appointed postmaster at Dearborn, Kennebec County, Maine, and served from November 1, 1825, to June 3, 1841; engaged in mercantile pursuits in 1824; moved to Madison and thence to Readfield, Maine, in 1844, where he took charge of a wool mill, which he ultimately purchased; member of the State house of representatives in 1833; sheriff of Somerset County in 1839; land agent 1850-1853; unsuccessful Wildcat candidate for Governor of Maine in 1853; there being no choice in the popular election, he was appointed by the legislature the first Republican Governor of Maine in 1855; delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1856; elected as a Republican to the Thirty-seventh Congress (March 4, 1861-March 3, 1863); was not a candidate for renomination in 1862; resumed his manufacturing pursuits; moved to Augusta, Maine, in 1879; member of the State house of representatives in 1880; president of the Maine Central Railroad in 1866 and vice president 1873-1887; died in Augusta, Maine, July 4, 1887; interment in Forest Grove Cemetery. [Source: “Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774 - Present,” available at https://bioguide.congress.gov/search/bio/M000967] Maine Delegation (This negotiation)
Lot M. Morrill Visualize (3 May, 1813 -- 10 January, 1883) Morrill was an American lawyer and politician. Born in Belgrade, Maine, Morrill studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1839. In 1854, Morrill was a member of the State house of representatives and was a member of the State senate in 1856. From 1858 to 1860 Morrill was Governor of Maine, and in 1861 Morrill was elected as a Republican to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Hannibal Hamlin. Morrill was reelected in 1863 serving from January 17th, 1861 to March 3rd, 1869. Afterwards in 1869, Morrill was elected to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the death of William Pitt Fessenden; he was reelected in 1871 and served from October 30th, 1869 until his resignation on July 7th, 1876. [Source: 'Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774- Present', available at http://bioguide.congress.gov/biosearch/biosearch.asp] Maine Delegation (This negotiation) , Maine Delegation (United States Thirteenth Amendment 1863-65) , Maine Delegation (United States Fourteenth Amendment & The Civil Rights Act of 1866) , Maine Delegation (The Civil Rights Act of 1875) , Maine Delegation (United States Fifteenth Amendment)
Freeman H. Morse Visualize (February 18, 1807 — February 5, 1891) Freeman Harlow Morse, a Representative from Maine; born in Bath, Maine, February 18, 1807; attended private schools and the academy in Bath; engaged in business as a carver of figureheads for ships; member of the State house of representatives 1840-1844; elected as a Whig to the Twenty-eighth Congress (March 4, 1843-March 3, 1845); mayor of Bath, Maine, in 1849, 1850, and again in 1855; again served in the State house of representatives in 1853 and 1856; elected as a Republican to the Thirty-fifth and Thirty-sixth Congresses (March 4, 1857-March 3, 1861); chairman, Committee on Naval Affairs (Thirty-sixth Congress); was not a candidate for renomination in 1860; delegate to the peace convention held in Washington, D.C., in 1861, in an effort to devise means to prevent the impending war; appointed by President Lincoln as United States consul at London March 22, 1861, and consul general April 16, 1869, and served until July 1870; resided in England after his retirement from office; died in Surbiton, Surrey, England, February 5, 1891; interment in the parish churchyard of St. Mary's, Long Ditton, Surrey County, England. [Source: “Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774 - Present,” available at https://bioguide.congress.gov/search/bio/M001010] Maine Delegation (This negotiation)
John J. Perry Visualize (August 2, 1811 — May 2, 1897) John Jasiel Perry, a Representative from Maine; born in Portsmouth, N.H., August 2, 1811; moved with his parents to Hebron (now Oxford), Maine, in 1812; attended the common schools and Maine Wesleyan Seminary; deputy sheriff of Oxford County; member of the state house of representatives in 1840, 1842, 1843, and 1872; studied law; was admitted to the bar in 1844 and commenced practice in Oxford; member of the state senate in 1846 and 1847; clerk of the state house of representatives in 1854; elected as an Opposition Party candidate to the Thirty-fourth Congress (March 4, 1855-March 3, 1857); was not a candidate for renomination in 1856; elected as a Republican to the Thirty-sixth Congress (March 4, 1859-March 3, 1861); was not a candidate for renomination in 1860; member of the peace convention in 1861 held in Washington, D.C., in an effort to devise means to prevent the impending war; editor of the Oxford Democrat from 1860 to 1875 and extensively connected with newspapers, both in and out of the state, as correspondent; member of the state executive council in 1866 and 1867; moved to Portland, Cumberland County, Maine, in 1875 and engaged in the practice of his profession until his death in that city on May 2, 1897; interment in Evergreen Cemetery. [Source: “Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774 - Present,” available at https://bioguide.congress.gov/search/bio/P000243] Maine Delegation (This negotiation)
Frederick A. Pike Visualize (9 December, 1816 -- 2 December, 1886) Pike was an American lawyer and politician. Born in Calais, Maine, Pike studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1837. After he began practice in Calais, he became the mayor in 1852 and 1853. Pike was elected as a Republican to the Thirty-seventh and to the three succeeding Congresses serving from March 4th, 1861 to March 3rd, 1869. [Source: 'Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774- Present', available at http://bioguide.congress.gov/biosearch/biosearch.asp] Maine Delegation (This negotiation) , Maine Delegation (United States Thirteenth Amendment 1863-65) , Maine Delegation (United States Fourteenth Amendment & The Civil Rights Act of 1866) , Maine Delegation (United States Fifteenth Amendment)
John H. Rice Visualize (5 February, 1816 -- 14 March, 1911) Rice was an American businessman, lawyer, and politician. Born in Mount Vernon, Maine, Rice studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1843. Rice was elected as a Republican to the Thirty-seventh, Thirty-eighth, and Thirty-ninth Congresses serving from March 4th, 1861 to March 3rd, 1867. [Source: 'Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774- Present', available at http://bioguide.congress.gov/biosearch/biosearch.asp] Maine Delegation (This negotiation) , Maine Delegation (United States Thirteenth Amendment 1863-65) , Maine Delegation (United States Fourteenth Amendment & The Civil Rights Act of 1866)
Daniel E. Somes Visualize (May 20, 1815 — February 13, 1888) Daniel Eton Somes, a Representative from Maine; born in Meredith (now Laconia), N.H., May 20, 1815; received an academic education; moved to Biddeford, Maine, in 1846; established the Eastern Journal, later known as the Union and Journal; engaged in the manufacture of loom harnesses, reed twine, and varnishes; mayor of Biddeford 1855-1857; president of the City Bank of Biddeford 1856-1858; elected as a Republican to the Thirty-sixth Congress (March 4, 1859-March 3, 1861); member of the peace convention of 1861 held in Washington, D.C., in an effort to devise means to prevent the impending war; engaged in the practice of patent law in Washington, D.C., until his death in that city on February 13, 1888; interment in Rock Creek Cemetery. [Source: “Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774 - Present,” available at https://bioguide.congress.gov/search/bio/S000678] Maine Delegation (This negotiation)
Charles W. Walton Visualize (December 9, 1819 — January 24, 1900) Charles Wesley Walton, a Representative from Maine; born in Mexico, Oxford County, Maine, December 9, 1819; attended the common schools and was instructed at home and by private tutors; studied law; was admitted to the bar in Oxford, Maine, in 1841 and commenced practice in Mexico, Maine, in 1843; also practiced law in Dixfield, Maine; attorney for Oxford County 1847-1851; moved to Auburn, Maine, in 1855 and continued the practice of law; attorney for Androscoggin County 1857-1860; elected as a Republican to the Thirty-seventh Congress and served from March 4, 1861, to May 26, 1862, when he resigned to accept a judicial appointment; associate justice of the State supreme court 1862-1897; was not a candidate for reappointment; resided in Portland, Cumberland County, Maine, until his death on January 24, 1900; interment in Evergreen Cemetery. [Source: “Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774 - Present,” available at https://bioguide.congress.gov/search/bio/W000112] Maine Delegation (This negotiation)
Israel Washburn Jr. Visualize (June 6, 1813 — May 12, 1883) Israel Washburn, Jr., (brother of Elihu Benjamin Washburne, brother of William Drew Washburn, brother of Cadwallader Colden Washburn), a Representative from Maine; born in Livermore, Androscoggin County, Maine, June 6, 1813; attended the common schools and was educated by private tutors; studied law; was admitted to the bar in 1834 and commenced practice in Orono, Penobscot County, Maine; member of the State house of representatives in 1842 and 1843; unsuccessful candidate for the Thirty-first Congress in 1848; elected as a Whig to the Thirty-second and Thirty-third Congresses, as a Republican to the Thirty-fourth, Thirty-fifth, and Thirty-sixth Congresses and served from March 4, 1851, to January 1, 1861, when he resigned, having been elected Governor; chairman, Committee on Elections (Thirty-fourth Congress); Governor of Maine in 1861 and 1862; declined to be a candidate for renomination; appointed by President Lincoln as collector of customs at Portland, Maine, and served from October 31, 1863, until March 16, 1877, when he resigned; served as president of the board of trustees of Tufts College, Medford, Mass.; engaged in literary pursuits; died in Philadelphia, Pa., on May 12, 1883; interment in Mount Hope Cemetery, Bangor, Maine. [Source: “Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774 - Present,” available at https://bioguide.congress.gov/search/bio/W000173] Maine Delegation (This negotiation)