John Hodgdon (October 1800 – August 27, 1883) was an American politician and farmer. The Hodgdon family were primarily farmers; his grandfather owned a significant tract of land in then disputed

Aroostook County Aroostook County ( ; french: Comté d'Aroostook) is a county in the U.S. state of Maine along the Canada–U.S. border. As of the 2020 census, the population was 67,105. Its county seat is Houlton, with offices in Caribou and Fort Kent. Kn ...

. John Hodgdon's grandfather died in 1819 and left his grandson the land, which eventually became the town of Hodgdon. His inheritance helped him attend

Phillips Exeter Academy (not for oneself) la, Finis Origine Pendet (The End Depends Upon the Beginning) gr, Χάριτι Θεοῦ (By the Grace of God) , location = 20 Main Street , city = Exeter, New Hampshire , zipcode ...

and

Bowdoin College Bowdoin College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Brunswick, Maine. When Bowdoin was chartered in 1794, Maine was still a part of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The college offers 34 majors and 36 minors, as well as several joint eng ...

, from which he graduated in 1827. After Bowdoin, he moved to

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 ...

to study law under prominent area lawyer Allen Gilman. In 1833, he was a member of the

Executive Council of Maine The Executive Council of Maine was a government body established with the Maine Constitution in 1820 and dissolved via statewide referendum in 1975. It was made up of seven members, traditionally defeated members of the majority legislative party, a ...

and from 1834 to 1838 he was a Land Agent for the state. In 1846, he was elected to 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 served as Senate President in 1847. He was re-elected in 1848 but resigned after unsuccessfully challenging incumbent Democrat

John W. Dana John Winchester Dana (June 21, 1808 – December 22, 1867) was an American businessman, diplomat and Democratic politician in the U.S. state of Maine. He served as the 19th and 21st Governor of Maine and as Chargé d'affaires to Bolivia du ...

his party's nomination for governor. In 1849, Hodgdon was named Bank Commissioner and in 1853, he was offered the position of US consul in Rome by President

Franklin Pierce Franklin Pierce (November 23, 1804October 8, 1869) was the 14th president of the United States, serving from 1853 to 1857. He was a northern Democrat who believed that the abolitionist movement was a fundamental threat to the nation's unity ...

, which he declined. In 1853, he left Maine for

Dubuque, Iowa Dubuque (, ) is the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. At the time of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population of Dubuque was 59,667. The city lies at the junction of Iowa, Il ...

, where he became mayor in 1859.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hodgdon, John 1800 births 1883 deaths Presidents of the Maine Senate Democratic Party Maine state senators People from Hillsborough County, New Hampshire People from Hodgdon, Maine Politicians from Bangor, Maine Iowa Democrats Mayors of Dubuque, Iowa Bowdoin College alumni Businesspeople from Maine Members of the Executive Council of Maine Phillips Exeter Academy alumni