Frederic Hale Parkhurst (November 5, 1864 – January 31, 1921) was an American politician. He was the 52nd Governor of Maine.

Biography

He graduated from Washington, D.C.'s Columbian Law School (now

George Washington University Law School The George Washington University Law School (GW Law) is the law school of George Washington University, in Washington, D.C. Established in 1865, GW Law is the oldest top law school in the national capital. GW Law offers the largest range of cou ...

) in 1887 and became an attorney in Bangor. He soon abandoned the law for business, and became partner with his father in a successful leather manufacturing and retail business. A Republican, he served on the Bangor City Council from 1893 to 1894 and was the council's president in 1894. He was a member of 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 1895 to 1896 and 1899 to 1902. He was a Delegate to the

1900 Republican National Convention The 1900 Republican National Convention was held June 19 to June 21 in the Exposition Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Exposition Auditorium was located south of the University of Pennsylvania, and the later Convention Hall was constr ...

. Parkhurst was also a member of the

Maine Militia Maine () is a U.S. state, state in the New England and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and territories of Canad ...

, serving as Commissary General with the rank of colonel from 1901 to 1904. From 1907 to 1908 Parkhurst was a member of the

Maine State 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 he was chairman of the Maine Republican Party from 1914 to 1916. In 1920, he defeated incumbent

Carl Milliken Carl Elias Milliken (July 13, 1877May 1, 1961) was an American politician, and business executive. He served as the 51st Governor of Maine, and was the Chief Spokesman for the Motion Picture Association of America. Early life and education A ...

in Maine's Republican primary for governor.http://bridgton.advantage-preservation.com/Viewer/?k=milliken%20parkhurst&i=f&by=1920&bdd=1920&d=01011920-12311920&m=between&fn=the_bridgton_news_usa_maine_bridgton_19200625_english_2&df=1&dt=10 After winning the general election in September, Parkhurst became ill during the period between winning the election and his inauguration. Parkhurst managed to leave his sickbed to take the oath of office, but died of pneumonia just three weeks later. He was buried at Mount Hope Cemetery in Bangor. His 26 days as Governor make his term one of the shortest in Maine history; the record belongs to

Nathaniel Haskell Nathaniel Mervin Haskell (September 27, 1912 – February 8, 1983) was an American attorney and Republican politician from Maine. Haskell served as the 62nd Governor of Maine for 25 hours starting at 10:00 a.m. on January 6, 1953. Biog ...

, who served for 25 hours in 1953. Senate President

Percival Proctor Baxter Percival Proctor Baxter (November 22, 1876 – June 12, 1969) was an American politician and philanthropist from Maine. The son of canning magnate and Portland, Maine mayor James Phinney Baxter, he served as the 53rd Governor of the U.S. state ...

, also a Republican, finished Parkhurst's term in office.

References

Frederic Hale Parkurst
at
National Governors Association
' 1864 births 1921 deaths George Washington University Law School alumni Maine lawyers Politicians from Bangor, Maine Republican Party members of the Maine House of Representatives Republican Party Maine state senators Republican Party governors of Maine Deaths from pneumonia in Maine Burials in Maine Maine Republican Party chairs {{Maine-politician-stub