Joseph Williamson (August 5, 1789 – September 30, 1854) was an American politician and lawyer. He served as President of the Maine Senate in 1833. During his career, Williamson also worked as a businessman, banker and newspaper editor.Joseph Williamson
Maine.gov

Biography

Williamson was born in

Canterbury, Connecticut Canterbury is a New England town, town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 5,045 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. History The area was settled by English colonists in the 1680s as ''Peagscomsuck''. It c ...

in 1789, the son of an

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

veteran. His older brother, William D. Williamson, later became Maine's second governor in 1821. He was one of eight children. He attended the

University of Vermont The University of Vermont (UVM), officially the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, is a public land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont. It was founded in 1791 and is among the oldest universities in the United ...

, graduating in 1812. He passed the

bar exam A bar examination is an examination administered by the bar association of a jurisdiction that a lawyer must pass in order to be admitted to the bar of that jurisdiction. Australia Administering bar exams is the responsibility of the bar associat ...

in 1816 and followed his older brother into practice in Bangor, Maine. He quickly moved to

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...

and set up his own practice. Upon the admission 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 ...

as a state in 1820, he was appointed County Attorney for Hancock County. He held that position until his appointment as County Attorney for

Waldo County Waldo County is a county in the state of Maine, in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 39,607. Its county seat is Belfast. The county was founded on 7 February 1827 from a portion of Hancock County and named after ...

in 1827. He lasted as Attorney for Waldo County until 1832, when he was elected to the Maine State Senate as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

. He served as the Senate President in 1833-1834. In 1839, he ran for the US Congress as a Democrat, but quickly thereafter resigned from the Democratic Party and enrolled as a Whig. He died of an apparent

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

in September 1854 in Belfast.

Family

Williamson's great grandson, Robert B. Williamson, served as a justice in the

Maine Supreme Judicial Court 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 ...

from 1959 to 1970.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williamson, Joseph 1789 births 1854 deaths Maine lawyers People from Canterbury, Connecticut People from Belfast, Maine People from Hancock County, Maine University of Vermont alumni Presidents of the Maine Senate Businesspeople from Maine Maine Democrats Maine Whigs 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American businesspeople 19th-century American lawyers