David Dunn (January 17, 1811February 17, 1894) was an American
Democratic politician and lawyer. He acted as the 18th
Governor of Maine
The governor of Maine is the head of government of the U.S. state of Maine. Before Maine was admitted to the Union in 1820, Maine was part of Massachusetts and the governor of Massachusetts was chief executive.
The current governor of Maine is Ja ...
for three days in 1844.
Biography
David Dunn was born in
Cornish (in modern-day
Maine
Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...
, then a part of
) on January 17, 1811.
Dunn studied law under then future Governor, "Squire"
John Fairfield
John Fairfield (January 30, 1797December 24, 1847) was an attorney and politician from Maine. He served as a U.S. Congressman, governor and U.S. Senator.
was born in Pepperellborough, Massachusetts (now Saco, Maine) and attended the school ...
, of
Saco. He was admitted to the bar in 1833 and shortly thereafter opened up a practice at Poland Corner.
He represented the town of
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
in the
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 ...
from 1840 to 1844 and was Speaker in 1843 and 1844. In that capacity Dunn served for three days as acting Governor in 1844 when President of the Senate,
Edward Kavanagh, resigned as acting Governor.
The game of political musical chairs continued with Dunn resigning and the new President of the Senate, John W. Dana, acting as Governor until newly elected
Hugh J. Anderson
Hugh Johnston Anderson (May 10, 1801 – May 31, 1881) was member of the United States Congress from Maine and served as the List of Governors of Maine, 20th Governor of Maine.
Early life
Hugh J. Anderson was born in Wiscasset, Maine, Wiscasset ...
was sworn in.
In 1845 Dunn was elected to the
Maine Senate
The Maine Senate is the upper house of the Maine Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maine. The Senate currently consists of 35 members representing an equal number of districts across the state, though the Maine Constitution ...
and served as its President following the resignation of Stephen Chase of
Fryeburg in 1846.
Dunn was rewarded for his tenacity by the
Buchanan Buchanan may refer to:
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* Buchanan, Liberia, a large coastal town
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* Buchanan Point, Laurie Island
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administration which appointed him to a Clerkship in the Post Office in Washington, D.C., which he held from 1857 to 1861.
Following his return to Maine he practiced law in Mechanic Falls. He died on February 17, 1894, at the age of eighty-three.
References
Past Presidents - David Dunn Democrat 1846 Maine Senate. Retrieved on 2008-02-14.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dunn, David
1811 births
1894 deaths
Democratic Party governors of Maine
Presidents of the Maine Senate
Democratic Party Maine state senators
Speakers of the Maine House of Representatives
Democratic Party members of the Maine House of Representatives
People from Mechanic Falls, Maine
People from Cornish, Maine
19th-century American politicians
People from Poland, Maine