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Levi Lincoln Jr.
Massachusetts

Gov. Levi Lincoln Jr.

  • May 26, 1825 - January 9, 1834
  • Democratic-Republican
  • October 25, 1782
  • May 29, 1868
  • Massachusetts
  • Harvard University
  • Married Penelope Winslow Sever; eight children
  • Representative

About

LEVI LINCOLN JR., the thirteenth governor of Massachusetts and son of Levi, former governor and U.S. attorney general, was born in Worcester, Massachusetts on October 25, 1782. His education was attained at the Leicester Academy and at Harvard University, where he graduated in 1802. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1805 and then established a successful legal practice in Worcester. Lincoln first entered politics in 1812, serving as a member of the Massachusetts State Senate, a position he held until 1813. He also served as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1814 to 1822, was the speaker of the house in 1822, and served as a delegate to the 1820 Massachusetts State Constitutional Convention. In 1823 he served as lieutenant governor of Massachusetts, and in 1824 he secured an appointment on the bench of the Massachusetts Supreme Court. Lincoln won election to the governorship on April 4, 1825. He went on to win eight consecutive bids for reelection. During his tenure, a conflict emerged between the owners of the Charles Street toll bridge and those that endorsed construction of a new free bridge. After declining to run for a tenth term, Lincoln left office on January 9, 1834. He continued to stay politically active, serving as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1834 to 1841. He also served as the Boston collector of the port from 1841 to 1843, was a member of the Massachusetts State Senate from 1844 to 1845, and served as senate president in 1845. He served as the mayor of Worcester in 1848, and was an 1848 Whig presidential elector, as well as a Republican presidential elector in 1864. Governor Levi Lincoln Jr. passed away on May 29, 1868, and was buried in the Worcester Rural Cemetery.

Source

Sobel, Robert, and John Raimo, eds. Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789-1978, Vol. 2, Westport, Conn.; Meckler Books, 1978. 4 vol.

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