History of Turner, (Androscoggin County) Maine United States of America

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Biographies:

Eugene Hale, senator, was born in Turner, Maine, June 9, 1836; son of James Sullivan and Betsey (Staples) Hale; and grandson of David .and Sarah (Kingsbury) Hale. He attended an academy and was admitted to the bar in 1857, practising in Ellsworth, Maine, and for nine consecutive years was attorney for Hancock county. He was a member of the state legislature of Maine in 1867, 1868 and 1880 ;' was a Republican representative in the 41st, 42d, 43d, 44th and 45th congresses, 1869-79; declined the appointment of postmaster-general offered by President Grant in 1874; and in 1876 declined the portfolio of the navy, offered by President Hayes. He was a delegate to the Republican national conventions at Cincinnati in 1876 and Chicago in 1868 and 1880. In 1881 he was elected to the U.S. senate as a Republican to succeed Hannibal Hamlin, and was re-elected in 1887, 1893 and 1899. In the senate he served as chairman of the committees on census, private land claims and naval affairs and continuously as a member of the committee on appropriations. He was married, Dec. 20, 1871, to Mary.Douglas, only daughter of Zachariah Chandler of Michigan, and their oldest son, Chandler, became in 1897 secretary of the American embassy at Rome. Senator Hale received the honorary degree of A.M. from Bowdoin in 1869 and that of LL.D. from Bates in 1882, and from Colby in 1886.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

Samuel Merrill, governor of Iowa, was born in Turner, Maine, Aug. 7, 1822; son of Abel and Abigail (Hill) Merrill; grandson of Abel and Elizabeth (Page) Merrill, who removed from Salisbury, Mass., to Oxford county, Maine, in 1750; and a descendant of Nathaniel Merrill, Newbury, Mass., 1635. Samuel attended the public school, engaged in farming and school-teaching, was colonel of state militia, 1842-49, and in 1849 removed to New Hampshire where he was a merchant and a representative in the state legislature, 1854-55. He was married in January, 1851, to Elizabeth Dorothy, daughter of Daniel Hill, of Buxton, Maine. In 1856 he removed to Iowa, was a merchant at McGregor, a representative in the Iowa legislature, 1860-61; with his brother advanced the money to equip the 1st, 2d and 3d Iowa volunteers, 1861; and in August, 1862, entered the Federal service as colonel of the 21st Iowa infantry, and commanded a brigade at the battle of Hartsville, Mo. He took part in the battle of Port Gibson, where his horse was shot under him, and at Black River Bridge where he was severely wounded in a charge for which he was complimented by General Carr. He subsequently served in Texas and was honorably discharged, May 27, 1864. He was elected Republican governor of Iowa in 1868, and re-elected in 1870, serving 1868-72. The new capitol building, for which he laid the corner-stone, was commenced during his administration. He was president of the Citizens' National Bank of Des Moines, Iowa, 1872-86; superintendent of the public schools and trustee of Iowa college 1867-99. He died in Los Angeles, Cal., Aug. 31, 1899.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor