Alonzo Conant (8 October 1914 - 4 January 1962) was an American lawyer and political activist from Maine. A member of the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

, he served as a Municipal Court Judge,

Maine House of Representatives The Maine House of Representatives is the lower house of the Maine Legislature. The House consists of 151 voting members and three nonvoting members. The voting members represent an equal number of districts across the state and are elected via p ...

, Director of Enforcement Division, Maine Liquor Commission, and Legislative Agent for the Maine Good Roads Association, now called the Maine Better Transportation Association.

Early life and education

He was born in

Turner, Maine Turner is a town in Androscoggin County, Maine, United States. The population was 5,817 at the 2020 census. The town includes the villages of Turner, Turner Center and North Turner. The town is part of the Lewiston- Auburn, Maine Metropolita ...

son of Alonzo and Lottie (Noble) Conant. He received his early education at public schools in

Auburn, Maine Auburn is a city in south-central Maine within the United States. The city serves as the county seat of Androscoggin County. The population was 24,061 at the 2020 census. Auburn and its sister city Lewiston are known locally as the Twin Cities ...

, Maine graduating from

Edward Little High School Edward Little High School is a public high school in Auburn, Maine, United States that was first established as Lewiston Falls Academy in 1835. Philanthropist Edward Little donated and considerable money to the academy, which was named in his h ...

. Conant received his A.B. in Economics from

Bates College Bates College () is a private liberal arts college in Lewiston, Maine. Anchored by the Historic Quad, the campus of Bates totals with a small urban campus which includes 33 Victorian Houses as some of the dormitories. It maintains of nature p ...

in 1936, attended Peabody Law School 1936-39 where during his first two years he was Editor-in-Chief of the Peabody Law Review where he ranked highest on State Bar Exam. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Conant served with the U.S. Navy from 1942–1946, as a gunnery officer/Lt.(JG) in the Atlantic, Mediterranean, European, and North Sea areas. He was awarded a citation by the Navy “for service rendered to the United States Naval Reserve in 1947.” He served as Legal Officer at the Naval Station, Portland, and assistant Legal Officer at the New York Naval Station,

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

Political, legal and judicial career

Conant was politically active throughout his adult life, represented Auburn in the Maine legislature in 1941, and served as Republican State Committeeman from

Androscoggin County Androscoggin County (French: ''Comté d'Androscoggin'') is a county in the U.S. state of Maine. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 111,139. Its county seat is Auburn and its largest city is Lewiston. Androscoggin County compris ...

and Republican Committee Chair (1948–49). Conant was admitted to the Maine bar in 1939, was appointed by three Maine Governors:

Horace Hildreth Horace Augustus Hildreth (December 2, 1902 – June 2, 1988) was born in Gardiner, Maine, the son of an attorney. Hildreth attended local schools before graduating from Bowdoin College in the class of 1925 and receiving his LL.B. from Harvard Un ...

Frederick G. Payne Frederick George Payne (July 24, 1904 – June 15, 1978) was an American businessman and politician. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as a United States Senate, U.S. Senator from Maine from 1953 to ...

, and

Burton M. Cross Burton Melvin Cross (November 15, 1902 – October 22, 1998) was an American Republican businessman and politician. Cross was Maine's 61st and 63rd Governor, though his two terms were separated by just 25 hours. Biography Born in Augusta, Main ...

to serve as Judge for Auburn Municipal Court for three successive appointments (1946–1958) and enjoyed a distinguished career as an attorney and jurist. He served as chairman of the Juvenile Delinquency Committee of the Municipal Judges Association, dedimus justice and disclosure commissioner and chairman of the Legislative Committee of the Androscoggin County Law Library. Conant was a Legislative Agent for the Maine Good Roads Association from 1955-1961. He was an authority on state highway matters. Throughout his career, he received special recognition numerous times for his work on behalf of individuals and groups. In 1955 he was elected Judge Advocate of the VFW Department of Maine. Too, he was active in numerous civic and social groups and Masonic bodies, including Tranquil Lodge of

Masons Mason may refer to: Occupations * Mason, brick mason, or bricklayer, a craftsman who lays bricks to construct brickwork, or who lays any combination of stones, bricks, cinder blocks, or similar pieces * Stone mason, a craftsman in the stone-cutt ...

(Scottish Rites Bodies), and

Kora Temple The Kora Temple is an historic Masonic building at 11 Sabattus Street in Lewiston, Maine. The temple was built in 1908 by the Ancient Arabic Order, Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. The Shriners are a fraternal organization affiliated with Freemasonr ...

Personal life

Conant was a member of the Universalist Church (Board of Trustees), moderator of the parish and Sunday school teacher. He was a Civil War enthusiast, Standardbred horse authority in addition to being an Italian opera and Gilbert and Sullivan devotee. He was married to Ruperta Helen Turner of Vassalboro, Maine in 1942 until his early death in 1962 from complications of

Polycystic kidney disease Polycystic kidney disease (PKD or PCKD, also known as polycystic kidney syndrome) is a genetic disorder in which the renal tubules become structurally abnormal, resulting in the development and growth of multiple cysts within the kidney. These cy ...

. Conant had two daughters, Sue Turner and Ellen Amelia.

References

* "Alonzo Conant, Former Auburn Municipal Court Judge, Dies at Age 47," ''Lewiston Evening Journal'', 5 January 1962, p. 1. * "Editorial," ''Peabody Law Review'', Vol. II, No. 2, June 1939, p. 39. * "Alonzo Conant Had High Rank in State Bar Exam," ''Lewiston Evening Journal'', 5 August 1939, p. 1; and "31 Candidates Pass Maine Bar Exams/ Alonzo Conant Jr. of Auburn First with Mark of 88," ''The Lewiston Daily Sun,'' 5 August 1939, p. 14. LINK:

* National Military Personnel Records, St. Louis, Missouri. Also see LINK, and search Registry by entering "Alonzo Conant":

* "On His Third Term," ''Lewiston Evening Journal'', 26 October 1954; and Auburn History Committee. 1968. ''Auburn (1869-1969); 100 Years a City.'' Twin City Printery, Lewiston, Maine. p. 269. * "Judge Alonzo M. icConant," ''The Maine Trail'', February 1962, p. 5. * "Alonzo Conant, Former Auburn Municipal Court Judge, Dies at Age 47," ''Lewiston Evening Journal'', 5 January 1962, p. 1. {{DEFAULTSORT:Conant, Alonzo 1914 births 1962 deaths People from Turner, Maine Republican Party members of the Maine House of Representatives Bates College alumni Politicians from Auburn, Maine 20th-century American legislators Edward Little High School alumni

Early life and education

Political, legal and judicial career

Personal life

Further reading

References