George Allen Ramsdell (March 11, 1834 – November 16, 1900) was an American lawyer, businessman, and

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

politician from

Nashua, New Hampshire Nashua is a city in southern New Hampshire, United States. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 91,322, the second-largest in northern New England after nearby Manchester, New Hampshire, Manchester. Along with Manc ...

. He served as the 46th

governor of New Hampshire The governor of New Hampshire is the head of government of New Hampshire. The governor is elected during the biennial state general election in November of even-numbered years. New Hampshire is one of only two states, along with bordering Verm ...

from 1897 to 1899.

Biography

George A. Ramsdell was born in

Milford, New Hampshire Milford is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States, on the Souhegan River. The population was 16,131 at the 2020 census, up from 15,115 at the 2010 census.United States Census BureauU.S. Census website 2010 Census figures. Re ...

on March 11, 1834. He graduated from the McCollom Institute in Mont Vernon and attended

Amherst College Amherst College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zephaniah Swift Moore, Amherst is the third oldest institution of higher educatio ...

for a year. Ramsdell then studied law, was admitted to the bar, and established a practice in

Peterborough Peterborough () is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, east of England. It is the largest part of the City of Peterborough unitary authority district (which covers a larger area than Peterborough itself). It was part of Northamptonshire until ...

. A

, Ramsdell served as treasurer of Hillsborough County from 1861 to 1862, and County Clerk from 1864 to 1887. In 1864 he moved to

Amherst Amherst may refer to: People * Amherst (surname), including a list of people with the name * Earl Amherst of Arracan in the East Indies, a title in the British Peerage; formerly ''Baron Amherst'' * Baron Amherst of Hackney of the City of London, ...

, and in 1866 he became a resident of

Nashua Nashua may refer to: * Nashaway people, Native American tribe living in 17th-century New England Places In Australia: * Nashua, New South Wales In the United States: * Nashua, California * Nashua, Iowa * Nashua, Minnesota * Nashua, Kansas City ...

. In addition to practicing law, Ramsdell was active in several businesses, including banks and railroads, and he served as president of Nashua's First National Bank. In 1871 he received an honorary

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

degree from

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native A ...

. Ramsdell served in the

New Hampshire House of Representatives The New Hampshire House of Representatives is the lower house in the New Hampshire General Court, the bicameral legislature of the state of New Hampshire. The House of Representatives consists of 400 members coming from 204 legislative district ...

from 1869 to 1872, and was a delegate to the 1876 State Constitutional Convention. From 1891 to 1892 he was a member of the state Executive Council. In 1894 he ran for governor and lost the Republican nomination to Charles A. Busiel. In 1896 Ramsdell was elected to a two-year term as governor, and he served from 1897 to 1899. His time in office was marked by creation of state board to oversee licensing of physicians and surgeons and mobilizing volunteers to serve in the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...

. Ramsdell died in Nashua on November 16, 1900, and was buried in Nashua's Edgewood Cemetery.

References

External links

* 1834 births 1900 deaths Republican Party governors of New Hampshire Politicians from Nashua, New Hampshire Republican Party New Hampshire state senators Republican Party members of the New Hampshire House of Representatives Members of the Executive Council of New Hampshire 19th-century American politicians People from Milford, New Hampshire People from Peterborough, New Hampshire {{NewHampshire-politician-stub