Joseph Sewall
Encyclopedia
Joseph Sewall was an American politician and businessperson. He served four terms as President of the Maine Senate (1975 to 1982), which made him the longest serving President in Maine history.
Sewall was born in Old Town, Maine
, son of James Wingate Sewall and Louise Gray Sewall in the home that his great grandfather and Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives
, George P. Sewall
, built in 1851. He attended local schools and Bowdoin College
. He was also President of James W. Sewall Co., an international forest engineering firm in Old Town, where he had also been a City Councillor and Mayor. Sewall served as President of the Maine Senate from 1975 to 1982. He was defeated in 1982 by Democrat Michael Pearson. Upon leaving the legislature, Sewall was appointed to the Board of Trustees of Maine Maritime Academy by Governor Brennan. Soon after his appointment, he was elected Chairman, a post he held for 20 years. He was also appointed a U.S. Commissioner of the Roosevelt Campobello International Park
Joint Commission and a Member of the Commission on Merchant Marine and Defense by President Reagan and re-appointments by President G.H.W. Bush. Among the other members of that Commission were former U.S. Senator Jeremiah Denton
and Adm. James Holloway III (Ret.)
. His great grandfather, George P. Sewall
, was Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives. He was also a Trustee of Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, and a Director of Merchants National Bank, later Merrill Bank, both also in Bangor. Sewall was a moderate Republican
.
On November 23, 2011, Sewall died at the Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, Maine
.
Sewall was born in Old Town, Maine
Old Town, Maine
Old Town is a city in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. The population was 7,840 at the 2010 census. The city's developed area is chiefly located on a relatively large island, though its boundaries extend beyond that...
, son of James Wingate Sewall and Louise Gray Sewall in the home that his great grandfather and Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives
Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives
The Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives is the speaker and presiding officer of the Maine House of Representatives, the lower house of the Maine Legislature.-List of speakers:...
, George P. Sewall
George P. Sewall
George Popham Sewall was an American lawyer and State Representative from Old Town, Maine. He was born in Georgetown, Maine the son of Joseph and Hannah Shaw Sewall....
, built in 1851. He attended local schools and 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...
. He was also President of James W. Sewall Co., an international forest engineering firm in Old Town, where he had also been a City Councillor and Mayor. Sewall served as President of the Maine Senate from 1975 to 1982. He was defeated in 1982 by Democrat Michael Pearson. Upon leaving the legislature, Sewall was appointed to the Board of Trustees of Maine Maritime Academy by Governor Brennan. Soon after his appointment, he was elected Chairman, a post he held for 20 years. He was also appointed a U.S. Commissioner of the Roosevelt Campobello International Park
Roosevelt Campobello International Park
Roosevelt Campobello International Park preserves the house and surrounding landscape of the Roosevelt summer retreat where, in August 1921, future president Franklin D. Roosevelt was stricken with poliomyelitis at the age of 39. The park occupies most of the southern end of Campobello Island, New...
Joint Commission and a Member of the Commission on Merchant Marine and Defense by President Reagan and re-appointments by President G.H.W. Bush. Among the other members of that Commission were former U.S. Senator Jeremiah Denton
Jeremiah Denton
Jeremiah Andrew Denton Jr. is a retired United States Navy rear admiral, naval aviator and a former Republican U.S. senator, for the state of Alabama...
and Adm. James Holloway III (Ret.)
James L. Holloway III
James Lemuel Holloway III is a retired United States Navy admiral and naval aviator who was highly decorated for his actions during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. After the Vietnam War, he was posted to The Pentagon, where he established the Navy's Nuclear Powered Carrier...
. His great grandfather, George P. Sewall
George P. Sewall
George Popham Sewall was an American lawyer and State Representative from Old Town, Maine. He was born in Georgetown, Maine the son of Joseph and Hannah Shaw Sewall....
, was Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives. He was also a Trustee of Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, and a Director of Merchants National Bank, later Merrill Bank, both also in Bangor. Sewall was a moderate Republican
Maine Republican Party
The Maine Republican Party is the affiliate of the United States Republican Party in Maine. It was founded in Strong, Maine on August 7, 1854. The state Chairman is Charles M. Webster....
.
On November 23, 2011, Sewall died at the Eastern Maine Medical Center 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...
.