History of New Portland, (Somerset County) Maine United States of America

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Biographies:

A Biography of Abram Pease Williams

Abram Pease Williams, senator, was born in New Portland, Maine, Feb. 3, 1832; son of Joseph and Betsey (Pease) Williams; grandson of Joshua and Ruth (Philbrook) Williams, and of Abram and Betsey (Parker) Pease, and great-grandson of Capt. Josiah Parker. He attended the academies at North Anson and Farmington; taught school until 1854, when he obtained employment as a clerk in a general store in Fairfield. Maine. In 1858 he was married to Bethania, daughter of Lewis and Ruth (Smith) Dunbar of Fairfield, Maine. He went to California, where he engaged in farming and mining, and as a merchant in San Francisco. He founded and was first president of the San Francisco board of trade; was vice-president of the chamber of commerce, and chairman of the Republican state central committee, 1884-88. He was elected U.S. senator to fill the unexpired term of John F. Miller, deceased, the latter having been elected by the California legislature to succeed George Hearst, who had been appointed by Governer Stoneman to fill the vacancy, and he served from Dec. 6, 1886, to March 3, 1887. He retired from active business in 1893, and devoted himself to his banking and mining interests in California.

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