Gorham Parks
Encyclopedia
Gorham Parks was a U.S. Representative
from Maine
, and a Democratic Party candidate for Maine Governor.
Born in Westfield, Massachusetts
, Parks attended the common schools and graduated from Harvard University
in 1813, where he studied law.
He was admitted to the bar in 1819 and began his practice in Bangor, Maine
in 1823.
Parks was elected as a Jacksonian to the Twenty-third and Twenty-fourth United States Congresses (March 4, 1833-March 3, 1837). He was a local leaders of the Loco-foco or radical faction of the Democratic Party
, which was anti-bank, anti-paper money, and anti-monopoly. He was opposed locally by Bangor's "Bank Junto", or conservative Democrats, which included Samuel Veazie, William Emerson, John Hodgdon, and Thomas A. Hill.
In 1837 Parks was the Democratic candidate for Maine governor. The election was unusual in that Parks' opponent, Edward Kent
of the Whig Party, lived in the same city (Bangor) and both were Harvard graduates. In one of the closest gubanatorial races in Maine history, Parks lost by less than a thousand votes (with about 70,000 cast).
Parks was subsequently appointed United States Marshal for the District of Maine
(1838–1841), and then United States Attorney for Maine (1843–1845). He ended his political career as United States Consul at Rio de Janeiro
, Brazil, (1845–1849), a post later occupied by his former opponent Edward Kent
Parks died in Bay Ridge, New York, November 23, 1877, and
was interred in Greenwood Cemetery, Brooklyn, New York. His son, also Gorham Parks, became Clerk of the New York Court of Appeals, and died in Albany in 1897.
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
, and a Democratic Party candidate for Maine Governor.
Born in Westfield, Massachusetts
Westfield, Massachusetts
Westfield is a city in Hampden County, in the Pioneer Valley of western Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 41,094 at the 2010 census. The ZIP Code is 01085 for homes and businesses, 01086 for Westfield State...
, Parks attended the common schools and graduated from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1813, where he studied law.
He was admitted to the bar in 1819 and began his practice in Bangor, Maine
Bangor, Maine
Bangor is a city in and the county seat of Penobscot County, Maine, United States, and the major commercial and cultural center for eastern and northern Maine...
in 1823.
Parks was elected as a Jacksonian to the Twenty-third and Twenty-fourth United States Congresses (March 4, 1833-March 3, 1837). He was a local leaders of the Loco-foco or radical faction of the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, which was anti-bank, anti-paper money, and anti-monopoly. He was opposed locally by Bangor's "Bank Junto", or conservative Democrats, which included Samuel Veazie, William Emerson, John Hodgdon, and Thomas A. Hill.
In 1837 Parks was the Democratic candidate for Maine governor. The election was unusual in that Parks' opponent, Edward Kent
Edward Kent
Edward Kent was the 12th and 15th Governor of the U.S. state of Maine during the Aroostook War. Born in 1802 in Concord, New Hampshire, he later moved to Bangor, Maine and spent the rest of his life there. He was among the last prominent members of the Whig Party in Maine before it collapsed in...
of the Whig Party, lived in the same city (Bangor) and both were Harvard graduates. In one of the closest gubanatorial races in Maine history, Parks lost by less than a thousand votes (with about 70,000 cast).
Parks was subsequently appointed United States Marshal for the District of Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
(1838–1841), and then United States Attorney for Maine (1843–1845). He ended his political career as United States Consul at Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
, Brazil, (1845–1849), a post later occupied by his former opponent Edward Kent
Edward Kent
Edward Kent was the 12th and 15th Governor of the U.S. state of Maine during the Aroostook War. Born in 1802 in Concord, New Hampshire, he later moved to Bangor, Maine and spent the rest of his life there. He was among the last prominent members of the Whig Party in Maine before it collapsed in...
Parks died in Bay Ridge, New York, November 23, 1877, and
was interred in Greenwood Cemetery, Brooklyn, New York. His son, also Gorham Parks, became Clerk of the New York Court of Appeals, and died in Albany in 1897.