Henry Bradstreet Cleaves (February 6, 1840 – June 22, 1912) was an American

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

and the 43rd

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 ...

from 1893 to 1897.

Early life

Cleaves was born in

Bridgton, Maine Bridgton is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 5,418 at the 2020 census. A resort area in Maine's Lakes Region, Bridgton is home to Bridgton Academy, a private preparatory school, and the Four on the Fourth Roa ...

, on February 6, 1840, to Thomas Cleaves and Sophia Bradstreet Cleaves. He had 4 siblings, including future judge

Nathan Nathan or Natan may refer to: People *Nathan (given name), including a list of people and characters with this name *Nathan (surname) *Nathan (prophet), a person in the Hebrew Bible * Nathan (son of David), biblical figure, son of King David an ...

. He studied at local schools and

Bridgton Academy Bridgton Academy is an all-male college preparatory school, college preparatory in Bridgton, Maine. Founded in 1808, the school sits at the northern tip of Long Lake in North Bridgton, Maine. The school has been NEASC accredited since 1934, making ...

American Civil War

Cleaves served during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. He enlisted in the summer of 1862, as a private soldier in Company B, 23d Maine Volunteers, under Col. William Wirt Virgin, later a justice of the

Supreme Judicial Court of Maine The Maine Supreme Judicial Court is the highest court in the state of Maine's judicial system. It is composed of seven justices, who are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Maine Senate. From 1820 until 1839, justices served lifetime a ...

. Cleaves attained the rank of

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

by time he was mustered out of service.

Politics

After the Civil War, he returned to Bridgton and was involved in his family's farm as well as in the lumber business. In 1868, he began studying law and he was admitted to the bar in September 1869. He had a successful legal career in

Portland, Maine Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maine and the seat of Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 in April 2020. The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, the 104th-largest metropol ...

. Cleaves was elected to 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 ...

in 1876 and again in 1877 as a representative from Portland. He was chosen as chair of the House Judiciary Committee. Leaving the Legislature, he then served as the city solicitor for Portland (1877–1879), and as the

Maine Attorney General The Maine Attorney General is the chief legal advisor and prosecutor of the State of Maine. The constitutional basis of the office is Article IX, Section 11 of the Maine Constitution, and the holder of the position is chosen biennially by the Maine ...

from 1880 to 1884. At the 1892

Maine Republican Party The Maine Republican Party is an affiliate of the United States Republican Party in Maine. It was founded in Strong, Maine, on August 7, 1854. The party currently does not control the governor's office or either chamber of the Maine Legislature, ...

convention held in Portland, he was unanimously selected as the Party's nominee for governor. He was elected in the September 1892 general election by a popular vote and was sworn in as governor on January 4, 1893. He won the re-election in 1894. During his administration, problems resulting from the national economic depression in 1893 were dealt with. He left office on January 2, 1897. Cleaves died on June 22, 1912, at the age of 72.

References

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

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cleaves, Henry B. 1840 births 1912 deaths People from Bridgton, Maine People of Maine in the American Civil War Politicians from Portland, Maine Union Army officers Maine lawyers Republican Party members of the Maine House of Representatives Maine Attorneys General Republican Party governors of Maine 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American lawyers