John_W._Dana
John W. Dana
American politician (1808–1867)
John Winchester Dana (June 21, 1808 – December 22, 1867) was an American businessman, diplomat and Democratic politician in the U.S. state of Maine. He served as the 19th and 21st Governor of Maine and as Chargé d'affaires to Bolivia during the 19th century.
John Winchester Dana | |
---|---|
4th Chargé d'Affaires of the United States to Bolivia | |
In office February 23, 1854 – March 10, 1859 | |
President | Franklin Pierce James Buchanan |
Preceded by | Horace H. Miller |
Succeeded by | John C. Smith |
19th and 21st Governor of Maine | |
In office January 3, 1844 | |
Preceded by | David Dunn |
Succeeded by | Hugh J. Anderson |
In office May 13, 1847 – May 8, 1850 | |
Preceded by | Hugh J. Anderson |
Succeeded by | John Hubbard |
President of the Maine Senate | |
In office 1843–1844 | |
Member of the Maine House of Representatives | |
In office 1841–1842 | |
Personal details | |
Born | (1808-06-21)June 21, 1808 Fryeburg, District of Maine, United States |
Died | December 22, 1867(1867-12-22) (aged 59) Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina |
Resting place | Village Cemetery, Fryeburg, Maine |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse |
Eliza Ann Osgood (m. 1834) |
Parent | Judah Dana (father) |
Education | Fryeburg Academy |
Profession |
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Dana was born in Fryeburg in the District of Maine, the son of Judah Dana and Elizabeth Ripley.[1][2] He studied in the local schools and at Fryeburg Academy before pursuing a business career.[3]
Dana served as a Democratic member of the Maine House of Representatives from 1841 to 1842.[4] He was a member of the Maine State Senate from 1843 to 1844. and was elected president of the Maine State Senate.[5] He became the Governor of Maine on January 3, 1844 after Acting Governor David Dunn resigned from office. He served only that day. As president of the state senate, Dana filled an unexpired term. Hugh J. Anderson became the Governor of Maine on the same day.
In 1846, Dana ran against Liberty Party candidate Samuel Fessenden and Whig Party candidate Daniel Bronson. No candidate received a majority of the vote; the Democratic dominated Legislature selected Dana.[6] He was successful in his re-election bid in 1847 and 1848.[7] 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 Chargé d'affaires to Bolivia in 1853 by President Franklin Pierce.[8] On March 10, 1859, Dana resigned his position and returned to Maine to run for governor. He was defeated by Israel Washburn Jr.
After losing the election, Dana sold his property and moved to South America to raise sheep.[9] While assisting in a plague stricken area, Dana contracted cholera in Argentina and died in Rosario, Santa Fe.[10] Years later he was re-interred in the Village Cemetery in Fryeburg, Maine.[11]
Dana married Eliza Ann Osgood in 1834 and they had five children.[2] Dana's father Judah Dana was a Maine statesman and U.S. Senator.[12]
- "Governor John Winchester Dana". Ancestry.com. Retrieved December 13, 2013.
- Brown, John Howard (1900). Lamb's Biographical Dictionary of the United States: Chubb-Erich. James H. Lamb Company. p. 332.
- Watson, Stephen Marion (1898). The Maine Historical and Genealogical Recorder, Volume 9. S.M. Watson. p. 353.
- Maine (1840). Public Documents of the State of Maine; Being the Reports of the Various Public Officers and Departments. Maine. p. 20.
- "Governor John Winchester Dana". Ancestry.com. Retrieved December 13, 2013.
- "John W. Dana, Fryeburg, 1844". Maine Memory Network. Retrieved December 13, 2013.
- "John W. Dana". The Blaine House. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved December 13, 2013.
- "Dana, John W." Maine An Encyclopedia. April 21, 2011. Retrieved December 13, 2013.
- "John W. Dana, Fryeburg, 1844". Maine Memory Network. Retrieved October 31, 2008.
- The Maine Historical Magazine, Volume 7. Joseph W. Porter. 1892. p. 125.
- Fosdick, Lucian John (1906). The French blood in America. R.G. Badger. p. 187. ISBN 9780665984068.
- Sobel, Robert and John Raimo. Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789-1978. Greenwood Press, 1988. ISBN 0-313-28093-2
- "Dana, Judah" . Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography. 1900.
- National Governors Association
- John W. Dana Portrait
- John W. Dana at Find a Grave
Party political offices | ||
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Preceded by | Democratic nominee for Governor of Maine 1846, 1847, 1848 |
Succeeded by |
Preceded by | Democratic nominee for Governor of Maine 1861 |
Succeeded by Bion Bradbury |
Political offices | ||
Preceded by | Governor of Maine 1844 |
Succeeded by |
Preceded by | Governor of Maine 1847-1850 |
Succeeded by |