Frederick Robie was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 politician who most notably served as the 39th Governor of Maine

Governor of Maine

The governor of Maine is the chief executive of the 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....

.

Early life

Robie was born in Gorham, Maine

Gorham, Maine

Gorham is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 16,381 at the 2010 census. In addition to an urban village center known as Gorham Village or simply "the Village," the town also encompasses a number of smaller, unincorporated villages and hamlets with distinct...

 on August 12, 1822. He studied at the Gorham Academy. He graduated from Bowdoin College

Bowdoin College

Bowdoin College , founded in 1794, is an elite private liberal arts college located in the coastal Maine town of Brunswick, Maine. As of 2011, U.S. News and World Report ranks Bowdoin 6th among liberal arts colleges in the United States. At times, it was ranked as high as 4th in the country. It is...

 in 1841. After completing his graduation, he taught academies for a time in the South. He then took a medical course at Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia and received his medical degree in 1844. He had a successful medical career. He established medical practices in Biddeford, Maine

Biddeford, Maine

Biddeford is a town in York County, Maine, United States. It is the largest town in the county, and is the sixth-largest in the state. It is the most southerly incorporated town in the state and the principal commercial center of York County. The population was 21,277 at the 2010 census...

, and then in Waldoboro, Maine

Waldoboro, Maine

Waldoboro is a town in Lincoln County, Maine, in the United States. The population was 4,916 at the 2000 census. Waldoboro is a picturesque fishing and resort town.-History:...

. He eventually practiced medicine Gorham, Maine

Gorham, Maine

Gorham is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 16,381 at the 2010 census. In addition to an urban village center known as Gorham Village or simply "the Village," the town also encompasses a number of smaller, unincorporated villages and hamlets with distinct...

, the place where he was born.

Civil War

During the American Civil War, Robie accepted an appointment from President Lincoln as Paymaster of United States Volunteers. He served with the Potomac army from 1861 to 1863. He then was transferred to Boston as Chief Paymaster of the Department of New England. He later served in Maine administering the final payments of discharged soldiers.

Politics

Robie served as a member of the Maine State Senate from 1866 to 1867. He also served as a member of the Maine House of Representatives from 1868 to 1878. He was speaker of the house in 1872 and 1876. He served as a member of the governor’s executive council in 1880 and from 1881 to 1882. In 1882 he was nominated for Governor and was elected governor by a popular vote. He was re-elected in 1884 by nearly 20,000 majority. He left office on January 5, 1887.

Later years

After leaving office, Robie practiced medicine. He also served on the First National Bank of Portland and the Portland and Rochester Railroad Company. He died on February 3, 1912.

Sources

• Sobel, Robert and John Raimo. Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789-1978. Greenwood Press, 1988. ISBN 0-313-28093-2