Judah Dana

Judah Dana (April 25, 1772 – December 27, 1845) was an American lawyer, judge and politician. He served as a United States senator from Maine and as judge of the Maine Court of Common Pleas during the early 1800s.

Judah Dana
United States Senator
from Maine
In office
December 7, 1836 – March 3, 1837
Appointed byRobert P. Dunlap
Preceded byEther Shepley
Succeeded byReuel Williams
Judge of the Maine Court of Common Pleas
In office
1811–1829
Personal details
Born(1772-04-25)April 25, 1772
Pomfret, Vermont
DiedDecember 27, 1845(1845-12-27) (aged 73)
Fryeburg, Maine
Resting placeVillage Cemetery
Fryeburg, Maine
NationalityAmerican
Political partyJacksonian
Spouse(s)Elizabeth Ripley Dana
Mehitable Mcmillan
RelationsIsrael Putnam
ChildrenCaroline Elizabeth Dana
Maria Annette Dana
John Winchester Dana
Francis Putnaman Dana
Abigail Ripley Dana
Catherine Putnam Dana
Emily Wheelock Dana
Sarah Malleville Dana
Alma materDartmouth College
ProfessionLawyer
Judge
Politician

Early life

Born in Pomfret, Vermont, Dana was the son of John Winchester and Hannah (Putnam) Dana.[1] He graduated from Dartmouth College in 1795 and then studied law.[2] In 1798, he was admitted to the bar and began the practice of law in Fryeburg, Maine, which was then a part of Massachusetts.[3]

Career

Dana served as the district attorney for Oxford County, Maine, from 1805 to 1811, and as judge of probate for Oxford County from 1811 to 1822.[4] From 1811 to 1823, he was judge of the Court of Common Pleas. He was also a judge of the circuit court.[5]

In 1819, Dana was a delegate to the convention that framed the state constitution of Maine,[6] and was a trustee for Bowdoin College from 1820 to 1843.[7] He was a bank commissioner from 1836 to 1837.[8] In 1833, he was elected a member of the Governor's Council for Governor Samuel E. Smith., serving in 1834.[9]

An adherent of the Jacksonian Party, Dana was appointed United States Senator upon the resignation of Ether Shepley when Shepley became Judge of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court. Dana served as Senator from December 21, 1836, to March 3, 1837, when a successor was elected and qualified.[10]

Personal life

He married Elizabeth Ripley in 1800 and they had eight children: Caroline Elizabeth Dana, Maria Annette Dana, John Winchester Dana, Francis Putnaman Dana, Abigail Ripley Dana, Catherine Putnam Dana, Emily Wheelock Dana, and Sarah Malleville Dana.[11] Their son John became Governor of Maine.[12] After Elizabeth's death in 1819, Dana married Mehitable Osgood Mcmillan.[13][14]

Dana was the grandson (on his mother's side) of the American Revolutionary War General Israel Putnam.[15][16]

Death

Dana died in Fryeburg, Oxford County, Maine, on December 27, 1845 (age 73 years, 246 days).[17] He is interred at Village Cemetery in Fryeburg, Maine.[18]

References
  1. "Judah Dana". Ancestry.com. Retrieved January 10, 2014.
  2. Metcalf, Henry Harrison and McClintock, John Norris (1920). The Granite Monthly: A New Hampshire Magazine Devoted to History, Biography, Literature, and State Progress, Volume 52. H.H. Metcalf. p. 160.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. Clayton, W. Woodford (1880). History of York County, Maine: With Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers. Higginson Book Company. p. 86. ISBN 9780832800375.
  4. Bowdoin College (1912). General Catalogue of Bowdoin College and the Medical School of Maine. Bowdoin College. p. 9.
  5. Sprague, John Francis (1922). Sprague's Journal of Maine History, Volumes 9-10. John Francis Sprague. p. 203.
  6. Bowdoin College (1912). General Catalogue of Bowdoin College, 1794-1916. The College. p. 9.
  7. Bowdoin College (1912). General Catalogue of Bowdoin College and the Medical School of Maine. Bowdoin College. p. 9.
  8. Douglas, F. (1838). Resolves of the Legislature of the State of Maine. F. Douglas. p. 326.
  9. Clayton, W. Woodford (1880). History of York County, Maine: With Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers. Higginson Book Company. p. 86. ISBN 9780832800375.
  10. "Judah Dana". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  11. "Judah Dana". Ancestry.com. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  12. Porter, Joseph W. (1892). The Maine Historical Magazine, Volume 7. Joseph W. Porter. p. 125.
  13. "Mcmillan". Ancestry.com. Retrieved January 10, 2014.
  14. Putnam, Eben (1891). A History of the Putnam Family in England and America. Recording the Ancestry and Descendants of John Putnam of Danvers, Mass., Jan Poutman of Albany, N. Y., Thomas Putnam of Hartford, Conn, Volume 1. Salem Press Publishing and Printing Company. p. 302. ISBN 9780598998705.
  15. Livingston, William Farrand (1901). G. P. Putnam's sons. G. P. Putnam's sons. p. 29.
  16. Cutter, William Richard and Clement, Edward Henry (1911). Genealogical and Family History of the State of Connecticut: A Record of the Achievements of Her People in the Making of a Commonwealth and the Founding of a Nation, Volume 2. Lewis historical Publishing Company. p. 1163.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  17. Brown, John Howard (1900). Lamb's Biographical Dictionary of the United States: Chubb-Erich. James H. Lamb Company. p. 332.
  18. Spencer, Thomas E. (1998). Where They're Buried: A Directory Containing More Than Twenty Thousand Names of Notable Persons Buried in American Cemeteries, with Listings of Many Prominent People who Were Cremated. Genealogical Publishing Com. p. 222. ISBN 9780806348230.

Further reading
  • "The School and College Life of Judah Dana of the Class of 1795" by James A. Spalding, published by Dartmouth Alumni Magazine in February 1917.


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