John Winchester Dana (June 21, 1808 – December 22, 1867) was an American businessman, diplomat and Democratic politician in the U.S. state of

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

. He served as the 19th and 21st

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 ...

and as

Chargé d'affaires A ''chargé d'affaires'' (), plural ''chargés d'affaires'', often shortened to ''chargé'' (French) and sometimes in colloquial English to ''charge-D'', is a diplomat who serves as an embassy's chief of mission in the absence of the ambassador ...

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

during the 19th century.

Early life

Dana was born in Fryeburg (in modern-day

, then a part of

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

), the son of Judah and Elizabeth Dana. He studied in the local schools and at

Fryeburg Academy Fryeburg Academy, founded in 1792, is one of the oldest private schools in the United States, located in Fryeburg, Maine. Among notable faculty, Daniel Webster was one of the first Heads of School, teaching at the school for a year. Boarding stu ...

before pursuing a business career.

Political career

Dana served as a Democratic 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 1841 to 1842. He 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 ...

from 1843 to 1844. and was elected president of the Maine State Senate. He became the Governor of Maine on January 3, 1844 after Acting Governor

David Dunn David John Ian Dunn (born 27 December 1979) is an English former professional football player and manager; he is now a coach at club Port Vale. Dunn played as an attacking midfielder and spent the majority of his playing career representing ...

resigned from office. He served only that day. As president of the state senate, Dana filled an unexpired term.

Hugh J. Anderson Hugh Johnston Anderson (May 10, 1801 – May 31, 1881) was member of the United States Congress from Maine and served as the List of Governors of Maine, 20th Governor of Maine. Early life Hugh J. Anderson was born in Wiscasset, Maine, Wiscasset ...

became the Governor of Maine on the same day. In 1846, Dana ran against Liberty Party candidate

Samuel Fessenden Samuel Fessenden (July 16, 1784 – March 13, 1869) was an American attorney, abolitionist, and politician. He served in both houses of the Massachusetts state legislature before Maine became a separate state. He was elected as major general i ...

and Whig Party candidate Daniel Bronson. No candidate received a majority of the vote; the Democratic dominated Legislature selected Dana. He was successful in his re-election bid in 1847 and 1848. During his term, anti-slavery measures were endorsed. He left office on May 8, 1850. After leaving office, Dana returned to his business pursuits. He was appointed

in 1853 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 ...

. On March 10, 1859, Dana resigned his position and returned to Maine to run for governor. He was defeated by

Israel Washburn, Jr. Israel Washburn Jr. (June 6, 1813 – May 12, 1883) was a United States political figure who was the Governor of Maine from 1861 to 1863. Originally a member of the Whig Party, he later became a founding member of the Republican Party. In 184 ...

Later years

After losing the election, Dana sold his property and moved to South America to raise sheep. While assisting in a plague stricken area, Dana contracted

cholera Cholera is an infection of the small intestine by some strains of the bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea that lasts a few days. Vomiting and ...

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

and died near

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

. Years later he was re-interred in the Village Cemetery in Fryeburg, Maine.

Personal life

Dana married Eliza Ann Osgood and they had five children. Dana's father

Judah Dana Judah Dana (April 25, 1772 – December 27, 1845) was an American lawyer, judge and politician. He served as a United States senator from Maine and as judge of the Maine Court of Common Pleas during the early 1800s. Early life Born in Pomfre ...

was a Maine statesman and

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

References

External links