Samuel Harwood Blake (1807 – April 1887) was an American politician and businessperson 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 ...

. Blake was a native of

Hartford, Maine Hartford is a town in Oxford County, Maine, United States. Hartford is included in the Lewiston, Maine, Lewiston-Auburn, Maine, Auburn metropolitan New England City and Town Area. The population was 1,203 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 cen ...

and graduated from

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 ...

. 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 settled in

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 ...

in 1831 and nine years later was elected to the

Maine 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 ...

. He was re-elected in 1842 and served as President of the Maine Senate during that year. He was elected

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 ...

in 1848 by the

Maine Legislature The Maine Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maine. It is a bicameral body composed of the lower house Maine House of Representatives and the upper house Maine Senate. The Legislature convenes at the State House in Aug ...

. In 1854, Blake ran for U.S. Congress and lost to

Israel Washburn Israel Washburn Sr. (1784–1876) was a Massachusetts politician, brother of Reuel Washburn and father of Israel Washburn Jr., Elihu B. Washburne, Cadwallader C. Washburn, and William D. Washburn. Charles Ames Washburn was an elector ...

of the newly formed Republican Party over the issue of the extension of slavery into the U.S. territories. With the outbreak of 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 ...

in 1861, Blake and many other Democrats joined the Republicans to support the preservation of the

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

. Later, upon the death of his brother, Blake managed the Merchants National Bank of Bangor. At the time of his death from

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

in Boston in 1887, Blake was described by the

Boston Evening Transcript The ''Boston Evening Transcript'' was a daily afternoon newspaper in Boston, Massachusetts, published from July 24, 1830, to April 30, 1941. Beginnings ''The Transcript'' was founded in 1830 by Henry Dutton and James Wentworth of the firm of D ...

as one of Bowdoin's oldest living graduates, a leading member of the

Penobscot County, Maine Penobscot County is a county in the U.S. state of Maine, named for the Penobscot Nation on Wabanakik. As of the 2020 census, the population was 152,199. Its county seat is Bangor. The county was established on February 15, 1816, from part of ...

bar and one of Maine's wealthiest and best known residents.

References

1807 births 1887 deaths People from Hartford, Maine Politicians from Bangor, Maine Bowdoin College alumni Presidents of the Maine Senate Democratic Party Maine state senators Maine Attorneys General Businesspeople from Maine 19th-century American legislators 19th-century American businesspeople {{Maine-politician-stub