Enoch Lincoln (December 28, 1788 – October 8, 1829) was an American politician, serving as

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from, successively,

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

and from

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

. He was the son of

Levi Lincoln Sr. Levi Lincoln Sr. (May 15, 1749 – April 14, 1820) was an American revolutionary, lawyer, and statesman from Massachusetts. A Democratic-Republican, he most notably served as Thomas Jefferson's first attorney general, and played a significant ro ...

and his wife, and the younger brother of

Levi Lincoln Jr. Levi Lincoln Jr. (October 25, 1782 – May 29, 1868) was an American lawyer and politician from Worcester, Massachusetts. He was the 13th Governor of Massachusetts (1825–1834) and represented the state in the U.S. Congress (1834–1841). Li ...

Born in

Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is a city and county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, the city's population was 206,518 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the second-List of cities i ...

, Lincoln graduated from

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

in 1807. He was elected and served as

Governor of Maine The governor of Maine is the head of government of the U.S. state of Maine. Before Maine was admitted to the Union in 1820, Maine was part of Massachusetts and the governor of Massachusetts was chief executive. The current governor of Maine is Ja ...

from 1827 until his death in October 1829. He studied law, was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

, and started his practice in Salem in 1811. He served as

United States district attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal c ...

1815–1818, and in 1819 moved to

Paris, Maine Paris is a town in and the county seat of Oxford County, Maine, United States. The population was 5,179 at the 2020 census. The census-designated place of South Paris is located within the town. Because the U.S. Post Office refers to the entire ...

( then a district of Massachusetts), and continued the practice of law. In November 1818, Lincoln was elected as a

Democratic-Republican The Democratic-Republican Party, known at the time as the Republican Party and also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party among other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early ...

-MA, representing the Maine district, to the

Fifteenth Congress The 15th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in the Old Brick Capitol in Washington, ...

to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of

Albion K. Parris Albion Keith Parris (January 19, 1788 – February 11, 1857) was the 5th Governor of Maine, a United States representative from the District of Maine, Massachusetts, a United States senator from Maine, a United States district judge of the Uni ...

. He was reelected to the

Sixteenth Congress The 16th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1819, ...

and served in total from November 4, 1818, to March 3, 1821. Lincoln was elected a member of the

American Antiquarian Society The American Antiquarian Society (AAS), located in Worcester, Massachusetts, is both a learned society and a national research library of pre-twentieth-century American history and culture. Founded in 1812, it is the oldest historical society in ...

in 1819. A portion of his business and personal papers resides in the manuscript collections of the AAS within the Lincoln Family Papers. Upon the admission of Maine as a state, Lincoln was elected as a Democratic-Republican from Maine to the

Seventeenth Congress The 17th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. While its term was officially March 4, 1821, t ...

. He was reelected to the Eighteenth Congress, but as an

Adams-Clay Republican The National Republican Party, also known as the Anti-Jacksonian Party or simply Republicans, was a political party in the United States that evolved from a conservative-leaning faction of the Democratic-Republican Party that supported John Qu ...

. Finally he was elected as a Pro-Adams candidate to the Nineteenth Congress and served from March 4, 1821, until his resignation some time in 1826. He served as

from 1827 until his death. He won three terms, all with more than 90% of the vote. He did not run for a fourth term. Lincoln died in

Augusta, Maine Augusta is the capital of the U.S. state of Maine and the county seat of Kennebec County. The city's population was 18,899 at the 2020 census, making it the tenth-most populous city in Maine, and third-least populous state capital in the Un ...

, on October 8, 1829, before his term expired, and after the election of his successor Jonathan G. Hunton. Two

Presidents of the Maine Senate President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese f ...

Nathan Cutler Nathan Cutler (May 29, 1775 – June 8, 1861) was an American politician in Massachusetts and Maine. He was a Democrat.''American Biography'' p 190 (1919) The American Historical Society, New York Cutler graduated from Dartmouth College in 17 ...

and

Joshua Hall Joshua Hall (October 22, 1768 – December 25, 1862) was an American legislator who served as the eighth governor of Maine for 34 days in 1830. Hall, a Methodist minister in Frankfort, Maine, was elected to the Maine Senate in 1830 and was c ...

, had to serve as lame-duck successors between the two men. Lincoln was interred in a mausoleum in Capitol Park, directly opposite the

Maine State House The Maine State House in Augusta, Maine, is the state capitol of the State of Maine. The building was completed in 1832, one year after Augusta became the capital of Maine. Built using Maine granite, the State House was based on the design of the ...

. The town of

Lincoln, Maine Lincoln is a town in Penobscot County, Maine, Penobscot County, Maine. The town's population was 4,853 at the 2020 United States Census. A statue honoring Medal of Honor recipient Gary Gordon was installed in Lincoln, in 2021. The bronze sculp ...

, is named for him. Lincoln was distantly related to President

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

, sharing common ancestor

Samuel Lincoln Samuel Lincoln (born 1622 – died May 26, 1690) was an Englishman and progenitor of many notable United States political figures, including his 4th great-grandson, President Abraham Lincoln, Maine governor Enoch Lincoln, and Levi Lincoln Sr. an ...

, who had settled in

Hingham, Massachusetts Hingham ( ) is a town in metropolitan Greater Boston on the South Shore of the U.S. state of Massachusetts in northern Plymouth County. At the 2020 census, the population was 24,284. Hingham is known for its colonial history and location on B ...

, in the 17th century.Lea et al, p. 136.

External links

The Lincoln Family Papers
the American Antiquarian Society

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lincoln, Enoch 1788 births 1829 deaths Members of the United States House of Representatives from Maine Governors of Maine Harvard College alumni People from Paris, Maine People from Worcester, Massachusetts Lincoln family Lincoln, Maine American Congregationalists Maine Democratic-Republicans Massachusetts Democratic-Republicans Maine National Republicans Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from the District of Maine National Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts Democratic-Republican Party state governors of the United States Members of the American Antiquarian Society 19th-century American politicians Burials in Maine