Frederick William Plaisted (July 26, 1865 – March 4, 1943) was an American politician and the 48th

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 ...

Early life

Plaisted was born in

Bangor, Maine Bangor ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Maine and the county seat of Penobscot County. The city proper has a population of 31,753, making it the state's 3rd-largest settlement, behind Portland (68,408) and Lewiston (37,121). Modern Bangor ...

, on July 26, 1865, the son of Sarah J. (Mason) Plaisted and Harris Plaisted, who served as governor from 1881 to 1883. He studied at local schools and at St. Johnsbury Academy in Vermont. Plaisted established a career in publishing, and in 1889 succeeded his father as publisher and editor of ''The New Age'' newspaper in Augusta. Plaisted also became active in the

Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW) is an American congressionally chartered fraternal organization that carries out activities to preserve the history and legacy of the United States Armed Forces veterans who fought during the Civil ...

, and attained the honorary rank of

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

after serving on the staff of the organization's national commander in the early 1890s. Afterwards, he was frequently addressed in newspapers and other records as "Colonel" Plaisted.

Politics

Plaisted served as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1896 and again in 1900. He served as mayor of Augusta from 1906 to 1909 and again from 1910 to 1911. He was the Kennebec County sheriff from 1907 to 1909, and was the first Democrat to hold the office.

Governor

Plaisted was the Democratic nominee for governor in 1910 and went on to win the general election, a rare statewide victory at a time when Maine was dominated by the Republican Party. He served from January 4, 1911 to January 1, 1913, and was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1912. During Plaisted's administration, the state government proposed a local option change to the

Maine law The Maine Law (or "Maine Liquor Law"), passed on June 2, 1851 in Maine, was the first statutory implementation of the developing temperance movement in the United States. History Temperance activist Neal Dow helped craft the Maine liquor law whil ...

prohibiting the sale of alcoholic beverages, which was defeated in a popular referendum. In 1912 he oversaw the forced eviction of a 45-member mixed-race community from

Malaga Island Malaga Island is a island at the mouth of the New Meadows River in Casco Bay, Maine, United States. It was the site of an interracial community from the American Civil War until 1911, when the residents were forcibly evicted from the island. It ...

in the town of Phippsburg.

Later life

After leaving the governorship, Plaisted was appointed

postmaster A postmaster is the head of an individual post office, responsible for all postal activities in a specific post office. When a postmaster is responsible for an entire mail distribution organization (usually sponsored by a national government), ...

of Augusta. He served until 1923, when he retired and moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

Death and burial

Plaisted died in Los Angeles on March 4, 1943. He was buried at Mount Hope Cemetery in Bangor.

Personal life

In 1907, Plaisted married Frances Gullifer, and they remained married until his death.

References

Sources

* Sobel, Robert and John Raimo. ''Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789-1978''. Greenwood Press, 1988.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Plaisted, Frederick W Democratic Party governors of Maine Mayors of Augusta, Maine Politicians from Bangor, Maine American Congregationalists Burials at Mount Hope Cemetery (Bangor, Maine) 1865 births 1943 deaths Maine sheriffs County officials in Maine St. Johnsbury Academy alumni