Maine
Gov. Seldon Connor
- January 5, 1876 - January 8, 1879
- Republican
- January 25, 1839
- July 9, 1917
- Maine
- Tufts College
- Married Henrietta White
- Army
About
SELDON CONNOR, the thirty-fifth governor of Maine, was born in Fairfield, Maine on January 25, 1839. His education was attained in the public schools of his native state, and at Tufts College, where he graduated in 1859. Before he enlisted in the Union Army, Connor studied law in Vermont. During the Civil War, he served as a lieutenant colonel of the 7th Maine Regiment, rose to the rank of colonel of the 19thMaine Volunteers, and later was brevetted brigadier general of the U.S. Volunteers. Connor entered politics in 1868, serving as the assessor of Internal Revenue for the third district of Maine. He also served as the collector of Internal Revenue in 1874. In 1875, Connor won the Republican gubernatorial nomination, and then went on to win the general election. He was reelected to a second term in 1876, and to a third term in 1877. During his tenure, he advocated for civil service reform, he endorsed the resumption of specie payments, and he promoted a free public school system. Connor also was a proponent of ongoing prohibition measures, and for eliminating land grants to western railroads. After running unsuccessfully for reelection, Connor left office on January 8, 1879. Three years later, he served as the U.S. pension agent, a post he served in again from 1897 to 1912. He also served as the Maine adjutant-general in 1893 and 1897, and served as president of the Northern Banking Company from 1887 to 1892. Governor Seldon Connor passed away on July 9, 1917, and was buried at the Forest Grove Cemetery in Augusta, Maine.
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 vols.
