William D. Williamson
Encyclopedia
William Durkee Williamson (July 31, 1779 – May 27, 1846) was the second Governor
of the U.S. state
of Maine
(serving from May 29, 1821 to December 5, 1821) and one of the first congressmen from Maine in the United States House of Representatives
. He was a member of the Democratic-Republican Party. Williamson was also Maine's first historian.
Williamson was born in 1779 in Canterbury, Connecticut
and graduated from Brown University
. He moved to Bangor
, then part of Massachusetts
, in the first decade of the 19th century and established a law practice there in 1807. He became Bangor's postmaster (among other offices) in 1810. During the War of 1812
he was present at the capture and sacking of Bangor by the British following the Battle of Hampden
and, like all male residents of the town, was made to sign an oath declaring he would not take up arms for the remainder of the war.
Following the war, in 1816, Williamson was elected to the Massachusetts State Senate representing the District of Maine, but became a force behind the movement for Maine statehood. In 1820 Maine separated from Massachusetts to become a state, and Williamson became the first President of the Maine State Senate. In 1821, when the first governor (King) resigned, Williamson automatically succeeded him given his Senate office. That same year, however, he ran for and won a congressional seat in the 17th United States Congress
, serving until 1823. Thereafter he returned to his law practice in Bangor, also serving as Judge of Probate for Penobscot County till 1840.
His younger brother, Joseph Williamson
, also served as Senate President.
Williamson was also Maine's first historian, having written a 2-volume History of the State of Maine in the late 1830s. This stood as the standard reference on early Maine history for the rest of the 19th century.
Williamson died in 1846 in Bangor
. He is buried at Mt. Hope Cemetery
.
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....
of the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
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...
(serving from May 29, 1821 to December 5, 1821) and one of the first congressmen from Maine in the United States House of Representatives
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...
. He was a member of the Democratic-Republican Party. Williamson was also Maine's first historian.
Williamson was born in 1779 in Canterbury, Connecticut
Canterbury, Connecticut
Canterbury is a town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 4,692 at the 2000 census.-History:The area was first settled in the 1680s as Peagscomsuck, consisting mainly of land north of Norwich, south of New Roxbury, Massachusetts and west of the Quinebaug River and the...
and graduated from Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
. He moved to Bangor
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...
, then part of Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, in the first decade of the 19th century and established a law practice there in 1807. He became Bangor's postmaster (among other offices) in 1810. During the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
he was present at the capture and sacking of Bangor by the British following the Battle of Hampden
Battle of Hampden
The Battle of Hampden, though a minor action of the War of 1812, was the last significant clash of arms in New England, in this instance, in the District of Maine . It represented the end of two centuries of violent contest over Maine by surrounding political units...
and, like all male residents of the town, was made to sign an oath declaring he would not take up arms for the remainder of the war.
Following the war, in 1816, Williamson was elected to the Massachusetts State Senate representing the District of Maine, but became a force behind the movement for Maine statehood. In 1820 Maine separated from Massachusetts to become a state, and Williamson became the first President of the Maine State Senate. In 1821, when the first governor (King) resigned, Williamson automatically succeeded him given his Senate office. That same year, however, he ran for and won a congressional seat in the 17th United States Congress
17th United States Congress
The Seventeenth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1821 to March 3, 1823, during the fifth and sixth...
, serving until 1823. Thereafter he returned to his law practice in Bangor, also serving as Judge of Probate for Penobscot County till 1840.
His younger brother, Joseph Williamson
Joseph Williamson (Maine)
Joseph Williamson was an American politician and lawyer. He served as President of the Maine Senate in 1833. During his career, Williamson also worked as a businessman, banker and newspaper editor....
, also served as Senate President.
Williamson was also Maine's first historian, having written a 2-volume History of the State of Maine in the late 1830s. This stood as the standard reference on early Maine history for the rest of the 19th century.
Williamson died in 1846 in Bangor
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...
. He is buried at Mt. Hope Cemetery
Mount Hope Cemetery, Bangor
Mt. Hope Cemetery in Bangor, Maine is the second oldest garden cemetery in the United States. It was designed by architect Charles G. Bryant in 1834, the same year that Bangor was incorporated as a city, and likely modeled after Mt. Auburn Cemetery in Boston, Massachusetts...
.
Books
- William D. Williamson, The History of the State of Maine (1832) online