Judah Dana (April 25, 1772 – December 27, 1845) was an American lawyer, judge and politician. He served as a

United States 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 ...

from

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 ...

and as judge of the Maine Court of Common Pleas during the early 1800s.

Early life

Born in

Pomfret, Vermont Pomfret is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. The population was 916 at the 2020 census. History The town was named after the Earl of Pomfret. Pomfret was chartered in 1761 by Benning Wentworth, who was the governor of New Hampshi ...

, Dana was the son of John Winchester and Hannah (Putnam) Dana. He graduated 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 ...

in 1795 and then studied law. In 1798, he was admitted to the bar and began the practice of law in

Fryeburg, Maine Fryeburg is a town in Oxford County, Maine, United States. The population was 3,369 at the 2020 census. Fryeburg is home to Fryeburg Academy, a semi-private preparatory school, and the International Musical Arts Institute. The town is also s ...

, which was 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 ...

Career

Dana served as the district attorney for Oxford County, Maine, from 1805 to 1811, and as judge of probate for Oxford County from 1811 to 1822. From 1811 to 1823, he was judge of the Court of Common Pleas. He was also a judge of the circuit court. In 1819, Dana was a delegate to the convention that framed the state constitution of Maine, and was a trustee for Bowdoin College from 1820 to 1843. He was a bank commissioner from 1836 to 1837. In 1833, he was elected a member of the

Governor's Council The governments of the Thirteen Colonies of British America developed in the 17th and 18th centuries under the influence of the British constitution. After the Thirteen Colonies had become the United States, the experience under colonial rule would ...

for Governor Samuel E. Smith., serving in 1834. An adherent of the

Jacksonian Party Jacksonian democracy was a 19th-century political philosophy in the United States that expanded suffrage to most white men over the age of 21, and restructured a number of federal institutions. Originating with the seventh U.S. president, And ...

, Dana was appointed United States Senator upon the resignation of

Ether Shepley Ether Shepley (November 2, 1789January 15, 1877) was an Politics of the United States, American politician. Shepley, a United States Democratic-Republican Party, Democratic-Republican, served in the Maine House of Representatives, Maine State H ...

when Shepley became Judge of 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 ...

. Dana served as Senator from December 21, 1836, to March 3, 1837, when a successor was elected and qualified.

Personal life

He married Elizabeth Ripley in 1800 and they had eight children: Caroline Elizabeth Dana, Maria Annette Dana, John Winchester Dana, Francis Putnaman Dana, Abigail Ripley Dana, Catherine Putnam Dana, Emily Wheelock Dana, and Sarah Malleville Dana. Their son John became

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 J ...

. After Elizabeth's death in 1819, Dana married Mehitable Osgood Mcmillan. Dana was the grandson (on his mother's side) of the American Revolutionary War General

Israel Putnam Israel Putnam (January 7, 1718 – May 29, 1790), popularly known as "Old Put", was an American military officer and landowner who fought with distinction at the Battle of Bunker Hill during the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783). He als ...

Death

Dana died in Fryeburg, Oxford County, Maine, on December 27, 1845 (age 73 years, 246 days). He is

interred Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...

at Village Cemetery in Fryeburg, Maine.

References

External links