Samuel Fessenden was an American lawyer, politician, and Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

 veteran. He was born and raised in 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 attended Lewiston Falls Academy (now Edward Little High School

Edward Little High School

Edward Little High School is a public high school in Auburn, Maine, United States that was first established as Lewiston Falls Academy in 1835. Philanthropist Edward Little donated and considerable money to the academy, which was named in his honor...

). He served in the American Civil War in the Seventh Maine Volunteer Battery

7th Maine Battery

7th Maine Battery was an artillery battery that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:The 7th Maine Battery was organized in Augusta, Maine and mustered in for three years' service on December 30, 1863....

, eventually reaching the rank of second lieutenant in the First Maine Volunteer Battery

1st Maine Battery

1st Maine Battery was an artillery battery that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:The 1st Maine Battery was organized in Portland, Maine and mustered in for three years' service on December 18, 1861....

. He later moved to Connecticut

Connecticut

Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...

 and served in the state legislature multiple times as both a representative & senator and he was a state's attorney for Fairfield County

Fairfield County, Connecticut

Fairfield County is a county located in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The county population is 916,829 according to the 2010 Census. There are currently 1,465 people per square mile in the county. It is the most populous county in the State of Connecticut and contains...

. He was also a candidate for the U.S. Senate and a delegate to multiple Republican National Conventions

Republican National Convention

The Republican National Convention is the presidential nominating convention of the Republican Party of the United States. Convened by the Republican National Committee, the stated purpose of the convocation is to nominate an official candidate in an upcoming U.S...

.

He is best remembered outside of Connecticut for shouting from the floor of the 1896 Republican National Convention

1896 Republican National Convention

The 1896 National Convention of the Republican Party of the United States was held in a temporary structure south of the St. Louis City Hall in Saint Louis, Missouri, from June 16 to June 18, 1896....

 at Joseph Manley

Joseph Homan Manley

Joseph Homan Manley was an American Republican Party official and close associate of Maine Republican politician and presidential candidate James G. Blaine....

that "God Almighty hates a quitter" when it was becoming apparent that the candidate they were both supporting wasn't going to win the nomination.