Samuel Clement Fessenden (March 7, 1815 – April 18, 1882) was an American

abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people. The British ...

and

United States Congressman The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

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 ...

. __NOTOC__

Early life and education

Born in New Gloucester, Massachusetts (now in

), Samuel Fessenden graduated from Bowdoin College in 1834 and from Bangor Theological Seminary in 1837.

Family

Samuel Clement Fessenden was the son of prominent abolitionist

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 brother of

Treasury Secretary The United States secretary of the treasury is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, and is the chief financial officer of the federal government of the United States. The secretary of the treasury serves as the principal a ...

William Pitt Fessenden William Pitt Fessenden (October 16, 1806September 8, 1869) was an American politician from the U.S. state of Maine. Fessenden was a Whig (later a Republican) and member of the Fessenden political family. He served in the United States House o ...

and Congressman

T. A. D. Fessenden Thomas Amory Deblois Fessenden (January 23, 1826 – September 28, 1868) was an American politician. He was a U.S. Representative from Maine. __NOTOC__ Biography Born in Portland, Maine, he attended North Yarmouth Academy and Dartmouth College ...

. He was an uncle of

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

generals

Francis Fessenden Francis Fessenden (March 18, 1839 – January 2, 1906) was an American lawyer, politician, and soldier from the state of Maine who served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War.Eicher, p. 234. He was a member of the powe ...

and

James D. Fessenden James Deering Fessenden (September 28, 1833 – November 18, 1882) was an American lawyer, politician, and soldier from the state of Maine who served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Primarily a staff officer and ...

. Samuel Clement's son Joshua Abbe Fessenden, who was born in

Rockland, Maine Rockland is a city in Knox County, Maine, in the United States. As of the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census, the town population was 6,936. It is the county seat of Knox County, Maine, Knox County. The city is a popular tourist destination ...

, served in the

United States Cavalry The United States Cavalry, or U.S. Cavalry, was the designation of the mounted force of the United States Army by an act of Congress on 3 August 1861.Price (1883) p. 103, 104 This act converted the U.S. Army's two regiments of dragoons, one ...

beginning in 1862 and was wounded at the

Battle of Chickamauga The Battle of Chickamauga, fought on September 19–20, 1863, between U.S. and Confederate forces in the American Civil War, marked the end of a Union offensive, the Chickamauga Campaign, in southeastern Tennessee and northwestern Georgia. I ...

. His other son Samuel, also born in Rockland, was appointed 2nd lieutenant in the 5th Maine battery on January 18, 1865 and was a lawyer and politician in Stamford, Connecticut.

Career

He was ordained and installed as pastor of the Second Congregational Church of

Thomaston, Maine Thomaston (formerly known as Fort St. Georges, Fort Wharf, Lincoln) is a town in Knox County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,739 at the 2020 census. Noted for its antique architecture, Thomaston is an old port popular with tourists ...

from 1837 to 1856. He then established the ''Maine Evangelist'' and began to study law. He was admitted to the bar and began practicing in 1858, eventually becoming judge of the Rockland municipal court. He was elected as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

to the

37th Congress The 37th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1861, ...

, serving from March 4, 1861 to March 3, 1863. During his time as a congressman, he continued to be a staunch Unionist and opponent of slavery. After leaving office, he served as an examiner in the

United States Patent Office The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is an agency in the U.S. Department of Commerce that serves as the national patent office and trademark registration authority for the United States. The USPTO's headquarters are in Alex ...

from 1865 to 1879 and then the United States

consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throu ...

Saint John, New Brunswick Saint John is a seaport city of the Atlantic Ocean located on the Bay of Fundy in the province of New Brunswick, Canada. Saint John is the oldest incorporated city in Canada, established by royal charter on May 18, 1785, during the reign of K ...

from 1879 to 1881.

Death

Fessenden died in Stamford, Connecticut in 1882. He is buried in Evergreen Cemetery in

Portland, Maine Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maine and the seat of Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 in April 2020. The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, the 104th-largest metropo ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fessenden, Samuel C. 1815 births 1882 deaths People of Maine in the American Civil War Bowdoin College alumni People from New Gloucester, Maine American Congregationalists Fessenden family Burials at Evergreen Cemetery (Portland, Maine) People from Thomaston, Maine Bangor Theological Seminary alumni Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Maine 19th-century American politicians